Visions
by OdnetninAdlez
Summary: Princess Zelda has been telling her father that Ganondorf is not to be trusted, yet he doesn't seem to listen. But when Ganondorf finally invades, Zelda must work fast in order to save Hyrule. Retelling of Zelda's life after she flees the castle.
1. Chapter 1  White Horse

**A/N: It's my first fanfiction. EVA. Well, it had to be done after like, three months of having an account XP **

**So, before this I'd like to give a shoutout to alwaysingirl, who inspired me to start writing (check out her Zelda stories. They're awesome).**

**So, without further ado, let the story commence! **

**Chapter 1 - White Horse**

'Sound the alarm! Ganondorf's troops have invaded!'

The soldier ran into the grand room, already occupied by the royal family of Hyrule. The king of Hyrule, Daphnes, stood at the sight of this soldier entering the room.

'What! How is that possible?'

'Sire!' The soldier spoke breathlessly, as if he'd been running. 'We had our defence at the ready, but the enemy force was too strong and they were cut down. The army general is giving orders to retreat, under your instruction.'

The terrified young lady watched the exchange like a tennis match. She was Zelda, princess of Hyrule.

Daphnes sighed, slowly rising from his throne.

'Then I guess we have no choice.'

Zelda closed her eyes, and a feeling of sadness washed over her. She had known this was coming for many months. Ever since she had seen Ganondorf through that window in the courtyard with Link, she had known he had evil intentions.

Link...

That young boy she had met so long ago. She had told him of his destiny, that he was to save Hyrule. Ever since that day, she had warned her father of the danger they would be in, if they allow their alliance. Now, that time had finally come.

Zelda must have thinking for a while as she was shaken out of her thoughts by her father's shout.

'You! Impa!' The woman called Impa walked in from the shadows, 'Yes, sire?'

'I want you to take Zelda and flee this place at once.'

'Of course, sire.'

Zelda opened her mouth to protest, but Daphnes quickly silenced her.

'No, Zelda do not worry. We shall be fine here. But now, you must leave.'

Zelda sighed. Her father had always been a stubborn soul. Even as she warned her father of what would happen in the future, he had always shaken his head and told to be quiet, not to interfere in the affairs of the king.

'Indeed. But I must prepare,' Zelda said.

'Yes. You have five minutes to gather your belongings. Then meet Impa by the stables.'

Zelda nodded, then walked out of the room. Her mind was spinning as she recalled what had just taken place. That man, Ganondorf. Did he really have such power? How would Link fare against him?

She sighed and shook her head. She entered her room, which was pristine. Like any princess' room would be expected to be. Her mind harked back to a vision she had months ago. In it, she was bestowing the legendary Ocarina of Time to the boy from the forest. She had always known that the vision was an instruction given to her by the gods.

She reached for a crude sack and quickly dumped some items in it. The Ocarina of Time sat on her shelf, untainted, undefiled; she hadn't played it for a long time. She carefully took it from the shelf and placed it slowly inside her sack. Upon exiting, she looked back at the room, with a look of sadness on her face. She knew. She knew that when she left the castle, she would not be back for a very long time. Possibly years. A tear escaped her eye but she wiped it away and walked to the general direction of the stables.

XxX

Impa was already standing at the exit with her horse, Maple. It was a brilliant white, with a long silvery mane. Zelda walked over and reached up to pat it, and it responded with a happy neigh.

'Are you ready?' Impa asked.

Zelda swallowed. 'Yes.'

'OK, Let's go.'

Impa climbed up onto Maple and held out her hand for Zelda to climb up, which Zelda took and used to pull herself up. She felt herself struggle as she swung her leg over the saddle, which was about a metre wide.

'Lower the drawbridge!' Impa shouted into seemingly thin air.

At her command, the drawbridge began to open. It was then that Zelda noticed a thunderstorm was occuring, like in her vision.

Impa began to rouse Maple into a trot once the drawbridge had begun to open. Once fully opened, she dug in her heels and Maple ran in what seemed impossible speeds to Zelda. She had to cling on to Impa's waist in order to stop falling off.

They were out to Hyrule Field in a matter a seconds, and it was then when Zelda spotted Link and that familiar fairy from her vision. She dug in the sack holstered on her shoulder and grabbed the ocarina. Then, with all her might, she threw it over to where Link was standing. Link seemed to follow its path with his eyes as it fell into the moat.

When she had let go, she almost fell off Maple, and frantically grabbed for Impa's tunic.

'Are you okay?' Impa shouted over the wind, glancing back at the princess.

'Yes!' Zelda shouted back. Now she was confident. Her work was done. She clung again to Impa's waist, and rested her head on her back. For the first time since she left, she began to enjoy the horseback ride.


	2. Chapter 2 Floating

**A/N: First off, thanks to alwaysingirl for the glowing review. To be honest, I thought it was a bit shoddy in places, so I'm gonna try and improve that with the later chapters.**

**Also, the chapter was kinda short, so I'm gonna try and make them longer from here on out. **

**On with the show!**

_Chapter 2 - Floating_

Zelda awoke as Maple stumbled slightly. Her head was still on Impa's back, who was looking forward. Maple was only walking slowly, so Zelda wasn't as uncomfortable as she had been earlier. She sighed and stretched out her arms, accidentally knocking Impa's head as she did so. Impa just chortled and glanced back at her.

'Morning, sleepyhead,' she said playfully. Zelda looked around. All she could see was an endless expanse of grass and trees.

'Where are we?' she asked groggily.

'Right now? We are...' Impa paused as she pull out a map, 'Here.' She pointed at a section right in the middle of Hyrule Field. 'The plan is to get to Kakariko which is about... another hour away, unfortunately. Do you want to stop and rest?'

'Why Kakariko?' Zelda asked.

'I know some people there who can keep you safe.'

'Well, I... I am a little hungry,' Zelda smiled weakly.

Impa smiled back and tugged at Maple's reins slightly, bringing her to a halt.

'Now that you mention it, me too.' She climbed off and put her hand out to Zelda, which she used to climb down. 'How about we rest here for a bit?'

Zelda nodded, 'Okay.'

She noticed it was dark now, slightly darker then when she had left the castle.

'How long have I been asleep for?'

'Two hours or so.'

Zelda looked back at the length they covered in the space of two hours. They were a good day's travel away, had they walked it.

Impa got out some firewood from her bag and arranged it in a small circle. She then took out some flint rocks and struck them a few times. The wood didn't catch fire, unfortunately. She cursed quietly and threw the rocks back in her bag.

'Looks like we can't have a nice stew now,' she said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

Zelda smiled politely. 'That's okay.'

It was then that Zelda was suddenly overcome with the urge to sleep. No, it wasn't an urge. It was like a person was trying to drag her into unconciousness. She tried to fight back, but she was overcome by the strength of the force. The last thing she saw was Impa's worried face as she fell back on the soft grass, dead to the world.

XxX

'Zelda...' A voice called out to her. She looked around. It looked like she was floating on smoke. She tried to stand, but her legs were weak, and she fell backwards onto the 'floor' with a thud.

'Ouch...' she managed to utter. Again she heard a voice call to her.

'Zelda... stand up...' It sounded so familiar. Like a child's voice.

'Who's there?' Her voice was raspy and her throat was sore.

'It's me, Zelda...' A figure began to emerge from the smoke. Every step it took made it a lot clearer. He was Link.

'Zelda. I have the Ocarina of Time. What must I do now?'

Zelda had a vision a month ago that was very similar to the situation she was in now. In it, she taught the powerful Song of Time to the boy from the forest. The Song of Time held the key to the Door of Time, which held a treasure spoken of and sought after by many. She stood up quickly, ignoring the pain in her legs.

'Okay, Link. You must listen very carefully to what I say. I am going to teach you a song, which you must play in the Temple of Time. Pass me the ocarina.'

Link nodded and handed over the ocarina, which was slightly wet.

'Sorry, I didn't have any time to dry it off.'

Zelda smiled at his politeness. 'It's okay. Listen closely.'

She played the simple melody, fabled for the power in its notes. She swayed casually as she played the notes with ease. Although she hadn't played the ocarina for a while, she noticed she remembered all the notes Daphnes taught her all those years ago.

She finished playing and breathed out heavily. 'Can you play that?'

Link nodded and took the ocarina from her. He put it to his mouth, seemingly not caring that she had just played it. Then he played the melody. Zelda was shocked at how quickly he picked it up, as she spent a long time perfecting it. He finished, and like Zelda, he breathed out heavily.

'That's it! You've got it!' She clapped happily. 'Do you know what you must do after that?'

'Yes.'

'Thank you, Link. Now go, hurry!'

Link nodded and ran back through the smoke. Zelda looked after him for a while, until that familiar feeling happened again. The feeling when she first came into this place. The feeling of something dragging her into unconciousness. It was futile to fight it, she figured. She just sat down and let it consume her. Black spots appeared in her vision, and then it was all dark.

XxX

She woke up to Impa, who was shaking her by the shoulders frantically. She had a slight headache.

'Come on, Zelda, please wake up!' Zelda's head throbbed every time she was brought forward by Impa's strong hands.

'Impa! I'm awake!' she almost screamed.

Impa stopped shaking her and just held her by the shoulders. 'Don't scare me like that again, you mischeivous whelp.'

'Why? What happened?'

'Well, we were just talking, and you suddenly fainted. I've been spending a whole 20 minutes trying to wake you up.' She then hugged her, 'Are you OK?'

'Yes. Thank you for your concern, Impa.'

'Okay. Are you still hungry, Zelda?'

Oddly, she wasn't. 'No, not anymore.'

'Sure?'

'Yes.'

'Okay. Gather your things. We need to get to Kakariko before the stalchilds come out.'

Zelda nodded, and grabbed her sack. Impa got back onto Maple and held out her hand. Zelda took it and pulled herself up. Impa roused Maple into a trot, and soon into a slow gallop. Zelda kept looking back at the unused circle of wood Impa had laid out. She smiled, glad she had someone like Impa to take care of her. Until she got to Kakariko, at least.

**A/N: Whew, that was tough. Hopefully it was a little better then the last one :) Review! **


	3. Chapter 3 Danger

**A/N: Again, big fat thanks to alwaysingirl for her reviews! They're pretty much what keep me writing :3**

**So, will our heroes get to Kakariko safely? Read on to find out!**

_Chapter 3 - Danger_

Impa was frantically kicking Maple's sides as a signal to go faster. In the distance, Zelda could see the stairway which led to Kakariko, and she judged that at the speed they were going, it would still take at least 15 more minutes to get there. A frightening thought then, as the sun was slowly setting. They were so tantalisingly close to safety, and yet it was still out of their reach.

Zelda heard a howl off in the distance, which signalled that night had finally fallen. She clung tightly to Impa's waist, for safety and to stop falling off Maple. The horse was going so fast the world around her blurred and distorted. At any other time, Zelda would have admired the horse's strength and speed.

But this wasn't any other time.

'Faster, damn you!' Impa screeched as she kicked Maple once again. Zelda was confused at this. Surely the horse was running as fast as it could already?

As if in response to her thoughts, Maple grunted and shot forward in a tremendous display of stamina, and galloped faster. Zelda was surprised at this, and let go of Impa's tunic when the horse gave a burst of speed. She screamed as she began to lose her balance, and Impa had to grab her by the dress before she fell.

'Be careful!' Impa shouted over the howling wind.

Zelda nodded quickly and clung to Impa as tight as she could, mentally slapping herself for being so careless. She looked up and noticed that the entrance had gotten slightly closer now, about 10 minutes away. But 10 minutes was unfortunately not enough.

Suddenly, about 100 metres away, Zelda saw two hands break through the soft ground. As she squinted, she found the hands belonged to a stalchild, the creature Impa wanted so desperately to avoid. Impa apparently saw it too, and she began to tug at the reins frantically, trying to get Maple to stop. Unfortunately though, Maple was going so fast it would have been impossible to stop altogether.

Impa cursed again and again, and pulled on the reins as hard as she could, but her efforts were futile. The stalchild painfully slid out of the ground, and started to crawl groggily towards them. Now they were about 50 metres apart, getting closer all the while. Zelda screamed and held on as hard as she could to Impa as she braced for impact. Closer... closer... closer.

There was a sickening crack and Zelda felt her hands leave Impa's waist as something the force of a wrecking ball struck Maple, causing her to stumble. Impa sailed through the air at a tremendous speed, until she finally met the floor with a loud thud. Zelda fell off Maple there and then, groaning loudly as her back hit the floor. It took a few seconds for her to realize that she and Impa were now in terrible danger.

She tried to stand, but her back pulsed with a pain unknown to her, and she screamed out. Impa was a good twenty metres away from where she lay, but she concluded that if she got to Impa she could take a weapon and use it to defend them. She groaned as she shimmied across the floor. Her back hurt with every movement, screaming out for her to stop, but she was determined to make it across the space. Another hand broke through to her left, and she screamed in terror and crawled as fast as she could, ignoring the pain. She made it over to Impa just as the stalchild rose fully out of the ground. Impa's face was pale, and her eyes were shut. She was still breathing, albeit weakly, so Zelda concluded she must have been unconscious.

'No, no Impa! Please wake up!' Zelda shook the limp body as hard as she could, but she couldn't get a response. The stalchild slowly but surely edged closer and closer to where they were. Zelda looked around in panic. The entrance to Kakariko was, literally, right next to them. Zelda tried to rouse Impa once more.

'Come on, Impa, wake up! The village is right there!' she frantically shouted. Impa remained still. Zelda screeched a word no princess should ever use and dug in Impa's bag for a makeshift weapon. She found a few daggers and a small sword, which was light enough for her to carry, even with her crocked back. The stalchild was only a few yards away now, and Zelda mustered up all her strength and stood up. With one swift movement she leaned forward and hacked away at the stalchild. The first slice cut off the stalchild's arm, which caused it to reel a bit. Zelda gave it no time as she sliced at it's head. The blade struck true, and the stalchild fell to pieces. Zelda didn't have much time to celebrate however, as another stalchild's hand broke through the soil about 10 metres from where she stood. She sat down and went back to Impa's side, trying to wake her once more.

It was only then that Zelda noticed the blood on her hands.

She screamed, and at that moment, her vision began to blur.

'No!' she yelled out, using all her strength to saty awake. The feeling was so intense she started to feel herself weakening rapidly. Her breath was ragged and irregular, as well as her heartbeat.

'No...' she whispered weakly. Black spots clouded her vision, and she managed to utter three last words before she lost consciousness.

'I'm... sorry, Impa.'

**A/N: Really satisfied with how this came out. Thanks for the encouraging words, alwaysingirl! :3**


	4. Chapter 4 Wagon

**A/N: Massive thanks to alwaysingirl, who reviewed (again :D) and mentioned this story in her fic :3 Had a pretty messed up day today, but hopefully it'll get better from here on out!**

**Here we go!**

_Chapter 4 - Wagon_

Zelda awoke to a rhythm of hoofbeats. The ground beneath her shook and swayed, and she hit her head against the wall, which seemed to absorb her weight.

'Huh?' she managed to mutter. Her back throbbed with pain every time blood pulsed through her veins, and her right hand was stinging like crazy. She looked at it and found that whatever she was travelling with bandaged it. It was really dark, so she couldn't see where exactly she was.

'Hello?' she called out as loudly as she could. At that point, the front of the 'room' opened like a pair of curtains, and a Lizalfos poked its head through. Zelda screamed and fell backwards onto the floor, and a wave of pain pulsed through her entire body.

'What do you want?' the Lizalfos asked in perfect Hylian.

'I... I...'

'Spit it out!' the Lizalfos growled menacingly.

'Wh... Who are you?' Zelda managed to ask.

The Lizalfos glanced behind him for a second, then turned back to the terrified girl cowering before him.

'Call me Drazzil.'

'Where are we?'

Drazzil sighed, as if he'd grown bored of speaking with Zelda already.

'Usually by this point, people we kidnap would be screaming out for help. Why not you?'

'I asked you a question first,' Zelda responded curtly.

Drazzil's face turned into a scowl.

'Don't talk to me like that,' he whispered.

'S... sorry,' Zelda replied. She made a note in her mind to do what Drazzil said.

'Okay. At the moment we are in the middle of Hyrule Field, going back to Hyrule Castle.'

'Why?'

'Because... Ganondorf will give us a hefty reward for capturing a member of the royal family who's escaped under his nose. Fortunately for you, he pays more if we keep them alive.'

'Us? How many of you are there?'

'Five.'

Zelda shrank back. With her crocked back and limited magic abilities, she could barely take out one of these monsters let alone five.

'No need to be scared. Yet. As long as you comply by our rules, _we_ won't kill you. Don't know what Ganondorf is gonna do, but that's his choice.'

A thought came to Zelda's mind.

'What did you do with Impa?'

'You mean that woman with you?'

'Yes.'

Drazzil spat disgustingly into the hay next to Zelda, causing her to jump.

'Stupid woman escaped. Lucky for her, as well. We would kill her if she was with you right now. After all, she isn't part of the royal family.'

He stretched out his hands until a loud click echoed off the walls, causing Zelda to cringe. She hugged her knees in misery. She would rather Drazzil kill her there and then, quickly. She knew Ganondorf would want to make her suffer, and for the time being it seemed there was nothing she could do about it.

'Okay. Well, do whatever you want to back here. I'm going to check on the horses.'

Zelda nodded, but his head was out of the room by that time. From the information she gathered, she concluded that they were in a wagon.

Suddenly, the familiar feeling that she was being dragged into unconsciousness occured again. She sighed, knowing again she couldn't stop it, so she just let it overtake her.

XxX

The sound of trickling water filled Zelda's ears as her eyes opened. As her vision returned, she could see waterfalls running from the ceiling down into who knows where. Looking down, she was lying on a large Triforce crest, raised slightly over the rest of the ground, which was wet with seemingly endless water which came out of nowhere. Surprisingly, her back didn't hurt, and she could stand up easily.

'Zelda...' A voice came from nearby. She looked around, trying to pinpoint where it came from. Her eyes fell on a man, who was pretty large. He had pure yellow robes on, with a bright red cloth in the middle, and a white beard covered his face.

'Who are you?' Zelda asked.

'I am Rauru, the Sage of Light.'

'Where am I?'

'The place in which you are now is called the Sacred Realm, home of the Sages and dwelling place of the Triforce.' He hesitated. 'Well, it was. But the Triforce has been taken.'

'What do you mean?'

'It has resided here for many years. A young boy blessed by the goddesses entered and tried to claim the Triforce as his own. Unfortunately, though, he was too late.'

Zelda's heart sank. 'You don't mean...'

'Yes, Zelda. Ganondorf claimed the Triforce before young Link could.'

'No... It can't be!'

'Alas, Zelda. It's true.'

Zelda fell to her knees in despair. 'I... I failed. The task the goddesses had entrusted to me. I failed them...'

She then burst into tears, wallowing in her misery. The goddesses had obviously thought her worthy of carrying out a simple task like this, and yet she failed.

'Zelda. You have not failed.'

She looked up from her position, her face stained with tears.

'Indeed, you carried out your task as instructed. Ganondorf, however, used you in order to gain access to the Sacred Realm. If anyone is to blame, it is Ganondorf. Him and him alone.'

Zelda wiped away her tears and stood again.

'There is still hope, Zelda. The young boy known as Link is resting here as we speak, unlocking his full power. Once that power is reached, he has a chance to kill Ganondorf and claim the Triforce from him, and we will reside in peace.'

'What of me? I am to be killed at Ganondorf's hands because of that wretched Drazzil.'

'I am aware. That is why you must escape him and hide.'

'Impossible. There are five of them. It doesn't seem likely that they would spare my life after I have escaped them_. If_ I escape.'

'Zelda. I can tell you are frightened. Please allow me to aid you in your plight.'

He held out his hands, and a beautiful blue light shone upon him. Slowly, an item started to descend and he caught it. Zelda leaned forward to see what it was. It looked like some clothes.

'In this bundle are everything you will need, Zelda,' he said as he handed the item to her.

Upon closer inspection, she saw the symbol of the Sheikah emblazoned on the front of the top. There were some daggers, needles and bandages among the clothes, plus a small bag.

'These items will help you to hide from, and, if necessary, kill your captors. Alas, it should never come to this, yet we have no choice.'

'Where do I change into this?' she asked timidly.

Rauru responded by flicking his fingers, and Zelda warped to what seemed like nowhere. It was just white space wherever she looked. She sighed, and quickly took off her dress and jewellery, laying them in a neat pile next to her feet. She looked around, as if expecting something to come and see her. When nothing came, she put on the Sheikah outfit. It fit her perfectly. She grabbed the bag and slung it over her shoulder. A small belt lay at her feet, which she put on and placed the daggers and needles in the holsters that came with it.

Now she was done, she wondered how to get back to Rauru. She needn't have worried, for she warped back to him after she finished.

'Please keep that garment for yourself. I put a spell on it so it will grow as you do.'

'Thank you so much, Rauru. I'm sure these items will aid me in my quest.'

'One more thing, please, princess.' He waved his hand at her, and her long hair braided into one long plait which draped across her shoulder.

'I... I thank you. Pray we meet again,' Zelda whispered.

'Indeed, princess.'

Suddenly that feeling fell upon Zelda once again, of someone dragging her into sleep.

'Thank you...' she whispered before she fell unconscious.

XxX

She awoke. The familiar hoofbeats of her kidnapper's horses were still going. Looking down, she could make out that she was wearing the Sheikah outfit she had just been given, weapons in place.

She grabbed a hold of one of the daggers in her sweaty palms and crawled quietly over to entrance of the wagon. She could hear Drazzil casually speaking to someone, whom she assumed was one of the cohorts. She muttered a silent prayer to Farore for courage, then jumped out.

The scene was a blur. As soon as she was outside Drazzil and the Lizalfos he was talking to looked back at her in surprise. Before they could react, she slashed their faces with the dagger, causing them both to cry out in pain. Drazzil cursed loudly as he held his cheek, which was bleeding profusely. The other Lizalfos was out for the count, the attack apparently to much for him.

Zelda quickly stabbed at Drazzil in his stomach. She hit, and he cried out again.

'You piece of...!' He shouted. Before he could finish his sentence, the wagon quaked. Apparently, the Lizalfos next to Drazzil was leading the horses, but now they were starting to panic, running in different directions. Zelda saw her chance, and jumped off of the wagon. As she met the ground her legs gave way, and she landed on her side, causing her to cry out.

Now she was off, she jut wanted to get as far away from that cursed wagon as soon as possible. The horses were still apparently confused, and they sped in the opposite direction. As she ran, she could hear Drazzil's voice, distant.

'Curse you! Whoever you are! Curse you! You better hope I don't find you again, 'cause when I do, I will kill you!'

Zelda covered her ears as she ran, wanting to get as far away as possible. The voice behind her dimmed more and more as she ran.

But the threats still rang in her ears.

'Curse you... I will kill you...' The voice, raspy and gravelly, echoed within her brain.

She closed her eyes and sprinted faster.

'No, you won't.'

**A/N: Aaaaand, scene! *cracks knuckles* This is the best of the lot, imo. Well, I did say it would get better, didn't I? :3 Review, pl0x XD**


	5. Chapter 5 Lost

**A/N: Moar thanks to alwaysingirl. Yesterday was pretty rough, but today was much better. Thanks for the concern! **

**Zelda has escaped, but where will she go now? Read on!**

_Chapter 5 - Lost_

Zelda sprinted across the grass, getting further and further away from her latest nightmare. Thankfully, the Sheikah outfit made running much much easier. If she had still been wearing her long dress, she would have fallen over at least seven times by this point.

After running for a full five minutes, she slowed and stopped, confident that they weren't following her. After a few seconds of heavy breathing, her back throbbed painfully, and she cried out, sitting down on the spot. Rauru must have put a spell on her to help escape Drazzil easier, but it apparently had worn off. The pain was immensely worse than when she had first experienced it. Not only this, but her side ached a bit as well from when she jumped out of the wagon.

She writhed around on the floor moaning, clutching her side and rubbing her back, alternating hands every few seconds. Luckily, when she dug in Rauru's bag, she found a red potion. She didn't know whether to cry or laugh with gratitude.

'Thank you, Rauru!' she shouted out, and downed the entire bottle in one go. The pain eased immediately, and she was able to stand once again. She stretched out, and felt her back click. She worried that it would have gotten worse, but the pain eased even more. She was happy about this, but only temporarily. It took a while, but she finally realized a daunting new problem.

_Where am I?_

Frantically looking around, all she could see was endless space. That run-in with Drazzil must have took her way off course. She started to panic, her breathing speeding up with every second. It was still night, and judging by how high in the sky the moon was, there was still at least three more hours left until sunrise. What she didn't need was a wave of stalchilds chasing her down.

She decided the best option was to run, somewhere. Hoping to find a beacon and follow it like a siren's call. Whether it was for better or worse, she would have to find out on her own.

Running through her options, she ran left from where she was, and stayed on the path. Luckily, no stalchilds bothered her as she ran, but she didn't stop to marvel. She ran as fast as she could, which was pretty fast, especially in the Sheikah outfit. After thirty minutes of sprinting, she stopped and started to breathe heavily. Thirty minutes was a pretty long time to be sprinting, but she figured that it was the adrenaline that was pulsing through her vessels. Now the effect started to wear off, and her legs felt like blocks of lead, joined by a kneecap of jelly. All she wanted to do was sleep. The very word seemed enticing.

She panted for another five minutes before she spotted a glint in the distance, about half a mile away. For a second, she was confused at what to do. But once she realised what that glint meant, she ignored her metal legs and started to sprint once more, her hope once again renewed.

_Yes! I'm going to make it! _

She had run at least 200 metres before a hand broke through the ground in front of her. Taken by surprise, she tripped over the hand, and landed on the ground about three metres away from it.

'Ah!' She grasped her side where she landed, a new pain rising in it. The stalchild slowly rose out of the ground and slunk towards her, slowly. But she didn't feel any fear towards the monster. She felt something comepletely different, something she hadn't felt in a while.

Anger.

She expertly flicked out a dagger from her belt and held it tightly in her hand. Then, she let out a roar not unlike a warrior going into battle, and jumped at the stalchild.

It seemed taken aback, like Drazzil had been. She brought down her arm with all her might onto the stalchild's head, cleanly slicing through it's brittle bone. She had struck it so hard that its jawbone shattered upon impact. The stalchild screeched, flailing its arms at its attacker. Unfortunately, one of its hands struck Zelda in the head, its sharp claws clawing through her scalp.

Zelda screamed in pain, clutching at her head. Blood dripped from her scalp to the ground, and she staggered backwards in shock. That shock quickly wore off though, as a new hatred for her attacker was born. She raised her leg, the skintight Sheikah suit perfectly stretching as she prepared her attack. She then kicked at the stalchild's ribcage with huge force. Two of its vertebrae shattered into pieces, and it fell backwards onto the floor. Zelda wasted no time as she jumped upwards into the air, graceful as a swift. At her maximum height, she descended on her fallen foe, foot aimed at its face. It screeched out a moment before her foot connected with its skull. It exploded into literally thousands of pieces. As a sign it was defeated, the rest of its body burst into flames, and it slowly sank back into the ground.

Zelda was exhausted. Her foot ached, and her head stung intensely. She clutched at it, now worried that she was bleeding a lot. Digging through her bag, she took out the bandages and wrapped them round and round her head. For all she knew, her head could have looked the top half of a mummy, but she didn't care. All she wanted to do was carry out her objective of getting to the light jst ahead.

She ran, a lot slower than before, but still quite fast. Only another five minutes and she will find out what the light belonged to.

XxX

The five minutes passed fairly quickly. Her legs started to harden once again, and for a second, she thought she would just collapse onto the floor, legs smoking stumps behind her. But when she walked on another couple of metres, her vision adjusted, and she could faintly make out a stairwell. She gasped. She knew what it was immediately and she gasped out in surprise and happiness. The place where she was meant to be all this time. For 'safety'.

The village of Kakariko.

She ran again, ignoring the pain in her legs. She reached the stairwell without any further interruptions, and ran up two stairs at a almost stumbled, but she didn't care. She was almost there, the safety she longed for firmly in her grasp.

She reached the top of the stairs, gasping for breath. A soldier at the gate spotted her in the torchlight.

'Hey, are you OK?'

As she got closer, he saw she had blood all over her, and was covered in cuts.

'Someone get Daisy!' he cried out.

Zelda just smiled, and fell at his feet, her well earned rest finally happening. As more voices joined the soldiers, she closed her eyes. She felt hands grab her arms and legs, and lift her up. The gentle rocking of their walking was enough to make her fall asleep, a final sigh of satisfaction escaping her lips before she breathed out her last conscious breath.


	6. Chapter 6 Shock

**A/N: Moar thankies to alwaysingirl :3 No, this won't be a LinkxZelda fic. I don't think I'll do a pairing at all, really. I do really like the LinkxMidna pairings, so I can agree. LinkxZelda is WAY too overused (plus Midna is way hotter X3).**

_Chapter 6 - Shock_

A cock crowed, signalling it was morning. Zelda had been staring up at the ceiling since she woke up, which was a good 10 minutes ago. She had tried to move out of the bed, but her legs ached, and her side burned when she stretched. So she just lay down, waiting for someone to enter. At least the ceiling wasn't boring to look at. An intricate pattern was indented on it, like the branches of a giant tree, before finally meeting at the centre in a blaze of crimson.

'Ah, you're awake,' came a voice from outside.

Zelda twisted her head toward the door (which at the moment was throbbing with a headache) to see a middle aged woman in an apron, broom in right hand.

'How are you feeling?'

Zelda felt she shouldn't tell the woman about her gripes, lest she fuss over her like a child.

'I'm... very well, thank you.'

'Sure? No aches or pains?'

'Yes,' Zelda lied through her scarf.

'Very good. One more thing. If you need something, ring that bell there,' she pointed to a small bell on the cabinet next to Zelda's bed, 'and someone will be with you shortly.'

'Yes, actually, there is something,' Zelda caught the woman before she left, ' where... where am I, exactly?'

'Welcome to our humble village of Kakariko,' the woman spread out her arms to emphasise the village's greatness, 'original home of the Sheikah, helpers to the royal family of Hyrule.'

Zelda stopped listening when she heard 'royal family'. She had been away for what seemed a lifetime. During that time, what had happened to her family back in Hyrule Castle?

'Do you know about what happened in Hyrule Castle?' she asked the woman.

'Ah, yes. Terrible news, wouldn't you agree?'

'Indeed. But what of the condition of the royal family? Do you know?'

'Sorry, that information hasn't reached us quite yet. But if you feel better, I can show you to someone who may know about that.'

Zelda nodded and smiled. 'I'll bear that in mind, thank you.'

The woman nodded back, and turned to leave, but Zelda stopped her again.

'Excuse me. What is your name, ma'am?'

The lady smirked and bowed dramatically. 'Daisy. Chief Nurse of the village.'

'Thank you very much,' Zelda smiled.

Daisy nodded for the final time, and left Zelda alone. It was then that Zelda turned and saw a huge mirror, and gasped at her appearance. Her face was cut many times, and her arm's bandages were covered in blood. Her right foot was bandaged, and that was also covered in blood. The bandages on her head were intact, and they were also caked with blood. Trying to remember how this happened, she came to a conclusion that when she had attacked the stalchild yesterday, the shattered bone pieces must have cut her as they flew outwards.

It was about now that she had said she had no pains. Perhaps Daisy would have had some potions which would have helped soothe the pain, but for the time being, the pain was so intense, she didn't think she could stand. And she really wanted to explore the village.

Her boredom seemed to overtake her senses, and she swung her legs over the sides of the bed, jumping onto the ground. Her legs almost gave away under her, and she grabbed the bed to steady herself. She tested her strength by letting go of the bed for a few seconds at a time, until she could stand for at least ten seconds. Now confident she could walk without falling, she limped through the door... almost knocking Daisy over in the process.

'Oh dear, I'm sorry,' she timidly whispered.

Daisy laughed. It was one of those really hearty laughs jolly people do all the time.

'Don't you worry none. Actually, I'm glad you're up and about, getting some exercise.' She paused and looked at the top of Zelda's head. 'You might want to change those bandages. They're looking really messy.'

She smiled and disappeared around a corner. Zelda did as suggested and took off her bandages, and grimaced in disgust at the state of them. The inside was much worse, the blood so dense it was starting to turn purple. From this, she could imagine what sate her hair was in.

'Daisy!' she called out.

'Yes, dear?' Daisy inquired, poking her head around the corner, 'Oh! Look at your hair!'

Zelda figured as much that her hair was messed up, but by Dasiy's reaction, she wondered if it had been a lot worse.

She limped (as fast as she could) back into her room. And screamed.

XxX

'My... my head...' Zelda whimpered as she patted her blood-stained scalp. Every touch, though slight, made her wince in pain.

'Don't touch, love. You'll make it worse,' Daisy said by her side.

She stopped, but still stared at her now somewhat deformed head.

Her hair was still covered with blood, but running through the middle toward her right ear, there was a huge cut. All the hair around it had been cut, so it stuck out against her usually blonde hair, pink strikingly noticeable over the hair colour.

'It's... it's okay. It'll grow back,' Daisy assured her, but there was a hint of skepticism in her voice.

Zelda shook her head vigorously, hoping this to be some horrible dream she could wake up from, tell her father about, and cry in his arms.

'Don't do that, pet! The wound is still fresh, so it could start bleeding again.' She gently pulled her arms back so she couldn't touch her head again.

Daisy's touch felt too real. It couldn't have been a dream.

She turned to Daisy suddenly. 'Bandages! I need fresh bandages, please!'

'Okay, okay!'

Daisy reached into a drawer in the bedside cabinet and took out a big roll of bandages. Zelda snatched them, unwound the entire roll, and wrapped the bandages around her head frantically, never wanting to see that horrid scar with her eyes again. She would cut off the circulation to her head if that's what it took.

'Are these waterproof?'

'I think so.'

'Is there anywhere I can wash?'

'Yes, there is a basin down the corridor.'

Zelda wasted no time in sprinting out of the room, the pain in her legs not bothering her as much now as it had been before. When she got to the basin, she didn't even check whether there was water in it, but instead just dunked her entire head in. Luckily, the basin was freshly prepared by Daisy in case Zelda wanted to wash up.

She scrubbed at her hair furiously, trying to get the blood out. It appeared now that a new hatred for stalchilds was born within her, and she scrubbed harder as she remembered the fateful encounter with the one which took away her beauty iin her eyes. After about five minutes of clawing at her hair, she leaned over the basin, breathing heavily. The water was dyed pink by the blood she had washed out, rippling slowly outwards.

It was at that moment that she vowed never to remove her bandages again.


	7. Chapter 7 Plight

**A/N: It would be a tremendous shame if that happened to you, alwaysingirl. Your hair is beautiful! :D**

**I feel really guilty that I couldn't update yesterday (work experience also knocked me on my butt), so I hope this chapter makes up for it. :)**

_Chapter 7 - Plight_

It was about half an hour after the events in the care house. Zelda tried hard to forget about it, but the image seemed to edge its way into her thoughts every time. The pain in her legs and arms had subsided a lot more since Daisy gave her a blue potion, one of the most powerful kinds. Perhaps if she took a look around Kakariko, it would take her mind off the unfortunate occurences.

'Daisy... now I'm better, can you find someone to show me around the village?'

Daisy did another fantastic laugh and smiled down at Zelda.

'Tell you what; why don't I just do it?'

'Would you? Thank you so much!'

'Aw, it's nothing, dear,' Daisy smiled.

They walked out of the exquisitely decorated door, and Zelda gaped in awe. For such a humble village, it was pretty busy. A woman in one corner was chasing around some cuccos, presumably trying to get them back in the pen. There were also a few men running around, which Zelda took to be carpenters due to the tools they were carrying around.

'Oh, how rude of me!' Dasiy suddenly shouted out. Zelda looked up at her.

'What is it?'

'You've been in my care for all this time, and I don't even know your name.'

'Ze...' Zelda hesitated. Rauru had told her to hide, and perhaps giving out her real name wasn't the best way to do it.

'Um... She... Sheik.'

'Fantastic. Now I can address you properly, Sheik.'

Zelda smiled, but inwardly groaned. Her father had always taught her never to tell lies. Especially to good people like Daisy. The circumstances may have had something to do with it, but she still felt a bit guilty whenever it had to be done. Like she had betrayed her father personally.

Her mind clicked as she remembered a conversation she had with Daisy earlier.

'You said you know someone who knows about the condition of the royal family...'

'Ah, yes! Completely forgot about that!' Zelda leaned back at Daisy's enthusiasm. 'Would you like to see her now?'

Her? Ah, so she was a woman.

'Yes, please. If you don't mind.'

'What? Oh, it's no trouble, honestly!'

She grabbed Zelda's hand, which throbbed with pain as she squeezed it. Maybe too enthusiastic...

Daisy led Zelda around the care house, to an 'alleyway' between the two houses. There was an old woman pacing around in the middle.

'Hello, Daisy!' the woman called out to Daisy in a wheezy voice, 'Who's that there?'

'Hello, Enyd! This young tyke here is new to the village. She has a few questions for you, if you don't mind.'

'Well, as you can see, I'm not doing anything. Bring her over!'

Zelda began to feel awkward as Daisy pushed her towards Enyd. After all, wouldn't you feel awkward if you were introduced to someone you had never known?

'Hello there, young one. My name's Enyd, as you could tell. What's yours?'

'Sheik,' Zelda winced at her lie.

'Well, Sheik. What would you like to ask me?'

'Daisy told me that someone would know about what happened to the royal family of Hyrule. Do you know?'

Enyd nodded.

'When Ganondorf invaded, the royal family had already escaped. Some of the guards were killed in the onslaught.'

'That's awful,' Daisy chipped in.

'So the royal family are safe?' Zelda asked.

'Yes. Although I'm not sure how well they're going to hold out.'

'What do you mean?'

'I mean they're hiding somewhere right now, and Ganondorf is scouring Hyrule for them. In fact, the one he wants most is Zelda.'

Zelda jumped at her name, and Enyd eyed her suspiciously. She'll have to get used to Sheik for a while then.

'That's all I know for now.'

'Thank you. Your help is greatly appreciated.'

'Ooh, aren't you polite?'

'Definitely,' Daisy said from behind Zelda.

'Well, if that's all, I must be off. Cheerio,' Enyd waved as she disappeared behind another building.

'Goodbye,' Daisy and Zelda said simultaneously.

There was a moment of silence.

'Okay. How about I show you around a bit more, then?'

**A/N: I've finished that work experience now (it was incredibly monotonous DX) so I'll try and update like usual. :) **


	8. Chapter 8 Hunger

**A/N: Again, big thanks to alwaysingirl for her review. Yep, Impa comes in quite a bit later on in the story. I'm actually writing this spontaneously, so I don't have time to come up with good plot points :P**

_Chapter 8 - Hunger_

'This building right here is the Potion Shop,' Daisy thrust out her hand in the direction of the building, almost hitting Zelda's face in the process. 'Need any medicine, here's the place. Actually...'

Zelda looked at Daisy as she hesitated.

'...Do you have any money at all, dear?'

Now that she mentioned it, Zelda had forgotten to take any money with her, the situation at the time making her forget.

'No...'

Daisy dug in her satchel and got out an orange rupee.

'What? Oh, there's no need for that. Especially this much,' Zelda whispered as Daisy slapped the huge value rupee in her hand. The spectacular laugh sounded again.

'Of _course_ not, dear. I've got loads more, you know.'

Zelda thrust it back at her.

'I _insist_ you take it back. Come on, I mean... 100 rupees? What am I going to spend that on?'

'Well, red potions are 20 rupees each. I'm guessing you're going to need a lot of them while you recover from those injuries.'

Zelda grimaced as she remembered the scar. It didn't hurt as much, but she daren't take the bandages off, breaking her vow. She shoved the rupee into her pocket.

'Thank you.'

'Okay. I think you've seen enough of the potion shop. Wanna see the windmill?' Daisy asked.

Zelda smiled up at her and nodded. At least she had someone as nice as Daisy to show her around.

XxX

'And that is, in a nutshell, Kakariko.'

Daisy came to a stop outside the care house they had started from.

'Where shall I stay?' Zelda said. She felt she had asked of Daisy enough already, after she gave her 100 rupees.

'That's the good part. You remember the room you woke up in?'

Zelda nodded.

'That's the room!'

Zelda tried her to hide her grimace under her smile. Now she'd have to wake up and be reminded of that day, which she wanted to forget.

'That's... fantastic!'

Daisy's face fell a bit.

'Do you mind?'

Zelda hurriedly tried to make light, 'No, no! It's brilliant. Thank you so much Daisy.'

Daisy's face lit up yet again. She must have been a really cheerful person to get back to normal that quickly.

'Excellent, excellent! We must get you some food. You must be starving!'

And with that, she flew back into the care house, leaving Zelda shaking her head in disbelief.

XxX

'Here we are!' Daisy sang, holding a huge platter with a lid.

Zelda sat at the other end of the table, staring at the platter as Daisy set it down carefully on the table. It was outrageously big, like a caricature of a decent sized meal. When Daisy lifted the lid to show a giant goose, Zelda's jaw almost dropped.

'Ta-da!'

Zelda didn't really know what to say, literally.

'I...I,' she stammered.

'It's okay. Anything you don't finish, just give it to me,' Daisy smiled.

Zelda nodded. She was indeed very hungry, so she couldn't wait to begin. Daisy must have sensed her anticipation, for she began to carve the goose expertly, dumping a large piece onto Zelda's plate. Zelda wasted no time in sticking the cutlery into the meat.

'So, you are hungry,' Daisy laughed.

Zelda nodded, not taking her eyes of the meat. There was silence, and the only sound heard was Zelda's chewing. She could get used to this.

**A/N: Sorry about the slightly rushed end, we had friends over. :P**


	9. Chapter 9 Waiting

**A/N: NEW REVIEWER! Huge thanks to RoseWing-chan (applause and confetti)! Oh wow, I didn't think the story would do good enough to get even one reviewer, but daaamn. Thanks again!**

**Those last two chapters were really short, right? Let's try and make this one a bit longer. XD**

_Chapter 9 - Waiting _

Zelda has been living at Daisy's care house for seven years. Long years, in fact, but still years. During this time, Ganondorf's rule had gotten more noticeable. The Gorons had all but disappeared, an ominous crimson cloud appearing above Death Mountain where a dark grey one should be. News had been confirmed that the Zora's had disappeared as well when a fisherman discovered Zora's Domain had been covered in ice, King Zora trapped as well. Ruto, princess of the Zoras, had disappeared, and not under the ice either.

Many people had begun to travel to the village, as it was the safest haven for them now as the Hyrule Market began to get infested with Redeads. Shops were set up, businesses restored, albeit far away from home.

All this and yet, no news for Zelda about the whereabouts of her family.

She had grown as well, the charmed Sheikah outfit growing along with her. Daisy had to repair it many times as Zelda ripped it on bushes and nails sticking out of poorly crafted houses, yet she was surprised it hadn't actually fallen into pieces. Either Rauru had placed a durability spell on it, or it was a lot tougher than she had first thought.

She had enjoyed her time at the village, eating the fantastic food made for her by Daisy. A few more people, however, had long since occupied the other spare rooms of the care house, so much so that Daisy had to reject people's pleas for housing every day.

'It's really terrible having to do that,' she'd say after she rejects yet another poor person's request.

The only thing Zelda seemed to enjoy is talk with Dampé, Kakariko's graveyard keeper. He was so optimistic for having such a horrid job, with only a tiny hut to go back to at the end of the day. Those graves depressed Zelda. For such a small village, with so many graves, tragedy must have befalled it quite regularly.

Dampé's face lit up whenever Zelda had walked into the graveyard. Even if he was busy, he would stop and talk to her, even if it was hours. He enjoyed her company, and she enjoyed his.

The perfect gift for a lonely soul.

He smiled again as she walked in, recognizing the 'trademark' Sheikah suit from a distance.

'Dampé!' she shouted across, and ran to where he stood. He couldn't really move that fast because of his humped back, but he still made the effort to shuffle the few feet to meet her.

'Hello, young fellow! Who might you be?'

'Dampé! It's me!' Zelda laughed. He did this every day. She couldn't tell if it was a joke or not, but he seemed to recognize her after a few seconds.

'Oh, Sheik!' He also laughed, and Zelda smiled at his enthusiasm. 'How've you been doing?'

'Oh, usual,' Zelda sighed, 'You?'

'Same. Nothing out of the unusual to report here.'

'That's good.'

'Want a drink? I've got a tea brewing right now, if you'd like.'

Zelda loved Dampé's teas, yet she still struggled with the concept of boiling water with leaves tasting so good. It was relaxing as well.

'That'd be swell,' she smiled.

'Good, good,' he nodded, 'back in a jiff.'

'I'm coming with you,' Zelda said. Dampé turned around, a baffled look on his face. 'Well, I'm not letting you handle boiling water by yourself! Especially with those eye problems.

'You'd help, then?'

'Of course.'

'Okay, then,' he said before shuffling off. This happened every day as well. Zelda was worried he had a mild form of amnesia he wasn't telling her about.

They were back at his hut in a matter of minutes, Zelda pouring out the water into the small cups laid out by Dampé. The water stained brown as it touched the leaves, and Zelda added milk, like always. Dampé kept his black.

'Questions you'd like to ask?' he inquired politely.

'The usual, Dampé. What's happening to Hyrule?'

'Also the usual answer, Sheik. Ganondorf's evil is spreading. Unless it is stopped, it will spread, until all of Hyrule, nay the entire world is overcome,' he paused to take a sip, then set the cup down on the table. Still too hot, Zelda assumed. 'Is this what the goddesses hoped for? For an evil world? I think not!'

'Indeed, Dampé. I still struggle getting to grips with that myself.' She also took a sip. Still too hot.

'Why does anyting happen, Sheik? Why do good people die? Why do bad people flourish while the good die out?'

'It seems that way, doesn't it?'

'Yet it'll get better,' he wagged his finger at her, 'I can feel it with all the fibres of my being.'

Zelda laughed. 'Let's hope so, Dampé!'

'How's the old hotel doing?' He smirked.

'I've told you already, it's a care house!' she also laughed.

'Well I heard you'd gained a couple of 'friends' over the years.'

'No way! That old woman from the Market is really ratty,' she sighed.

Dampé laughed. 'I wonder she feels about you...'

They laughed and joked for hours, the tea cooling within the first half hour enough for Zelda to drink. By the time they had finished, the sun in the sky had fallen until it peeked over the mountains in the horizon.

'Oh, wow. That time already?' Dampé asked, gazing out toward the setting sun. 'Well, my works begins here, Sheik. You could say I'm nocturnal,' he joked.

'I hope you won't be too tired now, Dampé...'

'Oh, pshaw! I'm not that feeble that I can't stay up a few more hours.'

Zelda smiled, counting ten seconds up in her head. When she finished, Dampé's head drooped forward, a snore escaping from his mouth. Zelda laughed quietly.

'Goodnight, Dampé,' she whispered.

Suddenly, after seven years, the landmark which got her into this outfit began to consume her. The feeling that she was being dragged into unconsciousness. The familiarity of it disappeared after all the years, so she was scared at first, fighting the feeling. However, she remembered why this was happening, and just let herself relax, head drooping like Dampé's.

In five seconds, she was away.

**A/N: Okay RoseWing and alwaysingirl, here you are! A longer chapter as promised. Keep reading and reviewing, and I'll update as regular as I can. :3**


	10. Chapter 10 Notes

**A/N: Again, big thanks to alwaysingirl and RoseWing. Yep, alwaysingirl that was exactly my reaction when I saw the extra reviews. Though a bit more excited X3**

**Also, RoseWing, I am honoured that you're reading my fic. In all honesty, I didn't think it will do all that well, but your reviews motivate me to continue. Thanks!**

**By the way, see if you can spot the Pokemon reference in the dialogue. :3**

**10 chapters landmark! Let's make it a good 'un.**

_Chapter 10 - Notes_

Zelda awoke in a place she immediately recognized. There were waterfalls coming from nowhere falling into an endless crevasse. She lay on a raised Triforce crest, with six coloured crests surrounding it. Water surrounding these crests too, running into the crevasse where the waterfalls flowed.

'Hello, Zelda,' a somewhat familiar voice greeted her. On the yellow crest stood a large man in bright yellow robes, a white beard covering the bottom half of his face.

'Hello, Rauru.'

'The time has come, Zelda. He awakens.' He stood aside to let Zelda see what exactly what he was talking about. Laying on a raised platform was Link, tossing about in sleep, the familiar fairy on the floor next to him. The only thing that had changed was his height. Zelda knew it had been seven years since she last spoke to Link, granting him the Song of Time. Had he been sleeping all this long? Was such a feat possible? Only the goddesses know.

'His power has been fully opened. He is now the Hero of Time.'

'So what happens now?'

'He shall awaken from his sleep very soon. But now I have an important quest for you.'

'What is it?'

'Here,' Rauru handed her a small harp from inside his robe. It was beautifully adorned with all kinds of colours, bright and immediately eye-catching. It was pristine, and the strings glowed subtly in the low light.

'I... It's lovely, Rauru,' Zelda smiled.

'It is an extremely special harp. With this harp, you will aid Link in his mission.'

Zelda looked at the instrument in disbelief. 'How?'

'I shall teach you six songs. With these, Link will be able to travel to important places as he wishes. This will help him dramatically in his quest.'

'What is his quest exactly?'

'Somewhere, in the land of Hyrule, there exist five people. These people are actually sages, like myself. Link must awaken each of these sages, and they will help him defeat Ganondorf once and for all.

'There are, in total, six sages. The Sage of Light, Sage of the Forest, Sage of Fire, Sage of Water, Sage of Shadow, and the Sage of Spirit. Each of these are dotted around Hyrule, yet do not know of their responsibilities. That is why Link must awaken each for them to grasp their position as a Sage.'

'Okay, Rauru.'

'Okay, the first you must teach to him is the Minuet of Forest. Listen closely.'

He paused as he brought out a harp of his own. Then, he expertly flicked his fingers over the strings, the happy tune cleanly ringing off the unseen walls. Zelda watched in awe, the simplicity of the song making it immediately catchy and memorable.

'Think you can do that?'

Zelda hoisted the harp between her shoulder and cheek, like Rauru had done. 'I'll try.'

She plucked some of the strings to get acquainted with the notes, then began playing the simple six-note melody, her bandaged fingers flitting along the strings with relative ease. Her father had always told her she had a good ear for music, and it showed as she played the song. She hardly missed a beat, and the timing was spot-on to how Rauru had done it. As she played the room became shrouded in a green light, which both Rauru and Zelda ignored. When she finished, the room returned to its usual colourless black.

'Excellent. You really have an ear for music,' Rauru acknowledged. Zelda smiled. With those regal garments and the beard, he was the almost spitting image of her father.

'With this song, you must make haste to the Sacred Forest Meadow. There you will find the Forest Temple, where the first sage sleeps. The Sage of the Forest.'

Link began to toss even more, and Zelda hadn't noticed up to that point.

'He is beginning to wake. Zelda, take the harp and hurry to the Kokiri Forest!'

'Yes, Rauru. Thank you.'

The feeling something was dragging Zelda into unconsciousness happened again, and Zelda took a last look at Link before falling to the ground, dead to the world.

XxX

She woke up in the same place she was when she first fell unconscious. Dampé was snoring in the chair opposite her, obviously still too tired to work. If the moon was any indication, she had been asleep for at least two hours. Stretching her back out, she realized what this meant for her. She was leaving Kakariko behind, and all the friends she had gained over the seven years.

Worst of all, she had to say goodbye to Dampé, who had been her closest friend since she first set foot in the village.

She looked at Dampé one more time. He snored obliviously, not aware that Zelda had awakened. She rested her hand on his shoulder, and he snorted softly. Knowing she would have to leave behind this, all she ever loved. Him, Daisy, Enyd, everyone. How would they react when she says she will be leaving.

'Sheik?' Daisy's voice called out softly to her from the entrance to the graveyard. Zelda stood and walked over to the voice's origin.

'_There_ you are, miss! Come on, I saved leftovers for you at the house,' Daisy rambled. She grabbed Zelda's arm and attempted to lead her to the house, but Zelda pulled back staying resolute.

'Sorry, Daisy. I can't.'

Daisy sighed as if she understood. 'I already told you you're not getting fat, dear! Stop being so self-conscious!'

Zelda laughed inwardly at Daisy's naivety. Oh how she wished she could stay, but as Rauru had already said, she had to leave immediately.

'Sorry, Daisy. It's not about that,' she whispered.

Daisy's hand fell away from Zelda's arm.

'I have to leave. Right away. I don't know how long I'll be away.'

Daisy burst into tears and hugged Zelda strongly with her strong arms, to the point of Zelda's face turning a light shade of blue.

Daisy finally released her, and she gasped for breath.

'I... I knew this day would come, some time. All girls leave home some day, right?' Daisy blubbed through cracked speech.

'I know it's hard, but do not cry. I'll visit sometime, okay?'

Daisy nodded, seeming to understand why Zelda had to leave.

'I'll tell the other villagers,' she whispered, and began to shuffle off. Zelda put a hand on her shoulder.

'No. That would only delay my departure.' She winced at the curtness of her reply. 'I'm sorry, but I must go right now. It's a matter of importance.'

'I... uh, okay.'

Zelda wanted to cry, but a show of emotion would have delayed her departure even longer. She followed Daisy back into the village, who was whimpering softly.

'Go back to the care house, Daisy. I shall be gone by the time you sleep.'

'So, this... this is it? Sheik?'

'Yes, Daisy. This is goodbye, but only for now.'

Zelda dug out an orange rupee from her satchel, tossing it up and down in her hands. The potion shop was still open at this time, but it would close soon. She had to be fast.

'Goodbye, Daisy,' she whispered, glancing back at the sobbing woman, shuffling back to the care house. She shook her head once before entering the potion shop.

'Four reds, please,' she said to the woman behind the counter.

'Sure thing, Zelda. Got the bottles?'

Zelda nodded, taking the bottles and placing them carefully on the counter. The woman quickly and professionally pouring a red liquid into each.

'Still healing, are you? After all these years?' The woman chuckled. Zelda smiled as she lay the orange rupee on the counter.

'Yes,' she lied. The woman took the rupee and placed a red one in Zelda's outstretched hands from the small 'till'. Zelda thanked her and quickly walked out the door.

Her brain ached with excitement, anticipation and grief, all at the same time. Her legs felt heavy as she approached the exit. The guard standing beside the door saw her leaving, and waved at her.

'Hello, Sheik! Little late to go exploring, doncha think?' he called out. Zelda nodded briefly in his direction, then turned away. He looked after her in bewilderment.

Zelda mentally slapped herself for being so rude, so uncaring. All these people in the village, sleeping peacefully in their beds, would not see her by morning. They'll search for her frantically, trying to find their best visitor to the village. Daisy would then tell them what happened last night, and...

Zelda couldn't bear to think about it. But there was much worse. Something that Zelda felt would haunt her emotions for months to come.

She didn't say goodbye to Dampé.


	11. Chapter 11 Rush

**A/N: Thanks to RoseWing for her review! :3**

**'Miss' is sorta like a term of endearment to me, rather than a term to address royalty. As for the 'Zelda' thing, that was a mistake on my part. Writing 'Sheik' in dialogue and 'Zelda' everywhere else confuses me sometimes. So to be clear, the only person who knows Zelda's true identity is Rauru, from this point in the story XP**

**Let's go!**

_Chapter 11 - Rush_

Zelda had been jogging for at least half an hour, using the map and compass she had been given by Enyd years ago to navigate. It was still night, and she had fought about seven stalchilds so far. She found that her reflexes and agility had improved since she had first fought a stalchild seven years ago. Memories flooded back, of riding on Maple, hands around Impa's waist. The stalchild knocking them off the horse. Defending Impa as she lay unconscious. Being kidnapped by Drazzil. And when she first entered Kakariko.

She shook out of her daydream as yet another hand broke out of the ground, and groaned inwardly.

'Don't these things ever give up?' she asked herself.

It rose out of the ground, and slunk to where she was running. She was already prepared, flicking out a dagger and holding it above her head. When she was a few metres away, she leaped up, foot aimed at the stalchild's ribs. It hit, and the stalchild fell to the ground, a hole where it's spine should be. Zelda wasted no time and stabbed it in the head. It gave a dying yelp before bursting into flames and sinking into the ground. Luckily, no blood ran through the stalchild, so she didn't have to clean the dagger every time she killed one. Showboating, she spun it around a few times and threw it back in the holster.

Who would have thought the princess of Hyrule would grow to be such an excellent fighter? Though she did have some people to thank for training her. Some soldiers in Hyrule Castle, for example. Or what about Impa, who gave her extra lessons on the sly? She smiled at the memory of them, nostalgia creeping into her mind again.

She started to slow, she noticed, and sprinted to make up for time. After about a minute's sprinting, she slowed into a job once more. Thankfully, the moon had sunk down to the bottom of the sky by that time. It would soon be daytime, and she wouldn't have to worry about the stupid stalchilds interrupting her.

Another hand rose out of the ground, and Zelda sighed. Producing the dagger, she killed the stalchild in a matter of seconds. Then, she spun it around again and shoved it in the holster.

'Daytime can't come soon enough,' she said to herself.

XxX

After about two hours of jogging (and eleven more stalchilds), the entrance to Kokiri Forest came into view.

'Finally!' Zelda shouted to no-one in particular. She sprinted now, wanting to get to the entrance before any other stalchilds were able to rise and interrupt her. Fortunately, no more did and she made it to the hollow trunk without trouble. She felt an air of evil emanating from the forest beyond, and at first was apprehensive.

However, she remembered Rauru's words and walked through the trunk. Past it was a bridge. On either side, there was a clearing, and there were fireflies flitting everywhere. They didn't seem to bother her, though. The evil aura was intensifying every step she took toward the next entrance, but she kept walking, albeit slowly.

When she finally got through to the forest, the evil aura almost knocked her over. In the usually peaceful forest, where Kokiri should be running around, playing, there were huge monsters and Mad Deku Scrubs. Zelda instantly recognized the plant-like monsters as Great Deku Babas, deadly creatures who poisoned prey with their saliva, then ate the writhing remains. The Mad Scrubs were a lot smaller, but also very dangerous to any unprepared person. The Deku Nuts they fire can reach speeds the human eye cannot trace. At the speeds the nuts are fired, they could easily break skin.

She tried to keep a low profile, slinking away from where a Great Deku Baba rested. Unfortunately however, the direction she went was right in the path of a Mad Scrub, which shreiked out on the sight of her. She jumped up as the Scrub was readying a Deku Nut. It then shot it, extremely fast for any normal human to see or avoid. However, Zelda's reflexes were incredibly sharp. She dodged the bulet with ease, and it flew into the wall behind her, denting it. Then, flicking out some throwing needles, she fell to the ground and lay until the Scrub stopped firing. When it did, she jumped up and fired five needles at once. Two of them missed, hitting the ground behind the Scrub. Three of them, however, stayed on course, hitting the Scrub with deadly accuracy; one in it it's head, chest and arm.

It shrieked and flailed before falling to the ground, bursting into flames. Satisfied, Zelda ran up and grabbed the two needles from the ground and placed them back in their holster.

Suddenly, a great roar sounded behind her. She turned quickly to see a Great Deku Baba about five metres away, swaying its head, saliva dripping from its jaw. Zelda flicked out a dagger as she prepared for battle.

Obviously, this would be a lot harder than the Scrub.


	12. Chapter 12 Monsters

**A/N: Thanks to alwaysingirl, RoseWing and (NEW REVIEWER!) James Birdsong for their reviews!**

**Yay, someone got the reference! Congratulations, alwaysingirl, you win a cookie :D And RoseWing, if you liked the fight scenes, there's a lot more to come! **

**On with the chapter!**

_Chapter 12 - Monsters _

Zelda circled the Deku Baba, arm raised, dagger in hand. It circled along with her, keeping an 'eye' on her, so to speak. Zelda knew she had to watch out for that infamous saliva dripping from the monster's jaws. There was so much that it dripped to the ground every seconds, hissing as it dissolved through the soil. They kept at it for what seemed ages, although it was only a few minutes. Zelda could tell from the Deku Baba's movements that it was getting more agitated, itching to begin the fight. Zelda remained calm, however, and carried on circling it.

Suddenly, it lunged at her, patience wearing thin. Mouth agape, it thrust itself forward. However, Zelda dodged and it closed it jaws where she had been standing only a few milliseconds ago. Perhaps bewildered, it stayed in that position for a few seconds. Zelda used this time to jab at its head with the dagger. It screeched, unworldly noise emanating from its mouth. It 'jumped' back, head hovering in its original position once again. There was a long cut where it had hit by Zelda's blade, which oozed purple fluid every few seconds.

Changing its tactics, the Baba lunged at her quickly, and she only dodged at the last second. It didn't give her a chance to retaliate, however, and sprung its head back to neutral position as soon as it missed. Zelda scowled, readying herself for another attack. It lunged again, like she anticipated. She dodged it with ease, but by the time she was ready to strike, it was waiting to make another move from its safe distance. This went on for another ten minutes. The Deku Baba rushing forward to attack, Zelda dodging. Zelda attacking, the Deku Baba dodging. Zelda decided to go from another angle.

After a few seconds, it lunged again. Zelda dodged, and shot her foot out, hitting it square on the head. It shrieked, and stayed in its current position, stunned. Zelda readied her dagger and slashed it, cutting off a huge chunk of the head's tissue. It screamed out in agony and sprung back to its neutral position again. Zelda smiled. She had it figured out.

She used the same tactic several more times, and the Deku Baba started to cotton on that its current strategy wasn't the best in the world. As Zelda kicked at it again, it quickly snapped its head back, catching Zelda completely off guard. She lost her balance and fell, dropping her dagger in the process. Seeing its chance, the Deku Baba shot forward and bit her in the arm, causing her to cry out in pain.

She jumped up again, arm throbbing with pain every heartbeat. Unluckily, it was her dominant arm, but the pain was so intense that she couldn't even lift it. She grabbed a spare dagger from her holster in her right hand, clumsy untrained fingers almost dropping it. She held on to it though, and waited for it to make its move. It lunged forward again, and she prepared to kick it again, but it quickly snapped its head back. She dodged it by millimetres.

'I need a new approach,' she whispered to herself.

She stepped backwards a few times, then sprinted at the Deku Baba as fast as she could. The Deku Baba lowered its head, preparing to bite. As soon as it lunged, however, Zelda somersaulted over it with impressive grace. Before it could turn back, she slashed its stem with all her might. It split in two, and the head fell on the floor. She ran over to it and sliced at its head time and time again, throwing some needles at intervals. After two minutes of hacking away at it, it screeched out loudly. The stem began to burst into flames, which travelled up the rest of the stem at an alarming rate, reaching the head in seconds. It shrieked as it writhed in pain, tissue falling away from its face as it burned. After a minute, there was no trace that a Deku Baba had ever existed in that spot.

Zelda dropped to one knee, exhausted and in agony. She reached into her satchel and pulled out a red potion, drinking half of it down in one gulp. Her arm pulsed with pain one last time before it healed enough for her to raise and lower it without being in pain. There were large pinhole wounds, about four, embedded in her forearm. She grimaced at the sight of them, and got out a roll of bandages, wrapping them around her arm. Thankfully the wounds weren't too deep, and would heal by themselves without any need for aid.

She sighed in satisfaction, and walked cooly toward the where the Lost Woods were, careful to avoid any more Scrubs or Deku Babas along the way. Not out of fear, but just because they were a pain and consumed too much time to defeat. Also, Link she imagined Link would have awakened by now, running for his home. She shook off those thoughts and ran faster toward to the hollow trunk that would lead her to the Lost Woods.

After about another half hour of jogging, she had finally found the Lost Woods. Usually, she would have taken a lot less time to get there, but she had trouble finding the entrance. If the Lost Woods were even more confusing than the forest itself, she would probably have a lot of trouble in it.

To the side was an object known as a Sheikah stone, something that Zelda had only seen outside the Temple of Time, four in a proud row. Apparently, if you hit them with a weapon, they could tell you the exact time, with no need of a sundial. Unfortunately, she had forgot to pick up her dagger when she dropped it in the Deku Baba fight. She cursed and took out a fresh one from her holster, then thrust it against the stone figure.

'BOIING! BOIING!' Zelda flinched at the shrillness of its voice. 'The current time is... 1:39pm!'

Zelda sighed, pulling out some needles. Cheery music began to louden as she walked into the hollow trunk, a happy tune unlike the plight of the forest.

Preparing herself for the worst, she ran in.


	13. Chapter 13 Labyrinth

**A/N: Thanks to alwaysingirl for her epic review (cotton, hehe) :3 I don't know what it is about you Americans and England's English accents and vocabulary. Like, why is it funny? XD**

**Here is the Lost Woods, only a day late! XP**

_Chapter 13 - Labyrinth_

Zelda ran in, needles at the ready. As she went in, she noticed the music cleanly reverberating off the walls of the hollow trunk, loud and clear. After a few seconds, she entered the clearing. There were three more hollow trunks, like the one she just came out of. Randomly, she chose the trunk on the left to go through next. As she walked toward it, the cheery music started to dim slightly. She paid no mind and kept walking through. The trunk wan't lit, so it was completely dark ahead, and she couldn't see where she was heading. After a few seconds, she could see a glimmer of light, and kept walking until she got out.

It took her a while to realize it, but she found that she was back where she started from. Kokiri Forest.

'What the heck?' she whispered to herself.

She flung herself back through the trunk that led to the Lost Woods again. After running for a few seconds, she got back to the clearing.

'Okay, let's try that again,' she said to no-one in particular. She ran through the left trunk again, music dimming the further she ran through. Upon exiting, she found she was once again in the Kokiri Forest. She growled and ran back in.

After getting through to the clearing, she turned right. She noticed that the music didn't start to dim. Rather, it got louder. After a few seconds, she saw some light. Running in, she got through to a new clearing.

'Ah, I see.'

This kept going for a while, Zelda running through the clearings, listening out for the music dimming and loudening. As soon as the music started to dim, she'd turn away and stand near a different trunk. If the music was still loud, she'd go through the trunk, smiling as she emerged into an entirely new area. Oddly, nothing came to bother like she had thought. Not even one Keese. If the state of the forest was any indication, she would've thought there would have been at least _something_. However, absolutely nothing came as she ran through the woods with ease.

Eventually, she came to a clearing that wasn't empty. She crouched in the shadows of the trunk entrance.

'Who's there?' a young boy's voice called out. She recognized him as a Kokiri, the signature clothing making him instantly recognizable. He had ginger hair, a dominant stance, and a pale pink fairy circled his head.

'I said, who's there?' he called out again, apparently not scared. Zelda decided to make her way out of the shadows.

'Don't be alarmed,' she calmly spoke.

'Why would I be?' the young boy said.

'Um... well, no reason,' Zelda whispered. What a tough cookie this boy was.

'Huh! Well, my name is Mido, leader of the Kokiri!' the boy shouted proudly, puffing his little chest out.

'I see. Well, my name is Sheik. And I need to get through there.'

'Hold it,' Mido blocked Zelda's way into the trunk, making her almost trip. 'Saria said I can't let anyone in unless they're her friends.'

'But I need to get in!'

Mido crossed his arms. 'Well, I can't do anything unless you can prove you are worthy of meeting Saria.'

Zelda growled menacingly, but the child stayed resolute. She looked around, trying to see if there was any other way in. Unfortunately, the trunk looked like the only way.

'Come on! This is a matter of life and death!' she shouted.

Mido kept his arms crossed, not budging. Suddenly, Zelda had an idea.

'This song... what is it?' she asked the boy.

'Saria plays this song all the time. She teaches it to all her close friends.'

Zelda shook her head. Did the boy just give away his means to stop her? By _accident_? She swept out the harp, listening hard to the song surrounding her. Then, without any trouble, she flawlessly played the notes with ease, no mistakes.

'You...' the boy stuttered as she finished. 'You know Saria?'

'Uh... yeah,' Zelda lied.

'Well, my word is my word. After you,' he said. Stepping aside, he let her through without anymore trouble.

'That was... weird,' she noted after she got through to the next clearing.

XxX

It took a while, (half an hour to be exact) but she finally made it through to a different looking clearing. This must be the Sacred Forest Meadow.

She looked about her in awe. It truly was a beautiful sight, with the lush grass surrounding her feet. The fireflies flitting everywhere gave it a somewhat mystical feel.

That feeling of awe was interrupted, however, as a hand broke through the soil in front of her. However, this wasn't a stalchild's hand. It looked like it actually had muscle, and it was white and furry. The rest of the body broke through the soil, revealing a humanoid wolf, with evil eyes and sharp claws. It howled as it shook itself out of the ground. Zelda flicked out a dagger and shifted into battle stance.

'Finally, a fight!' she exclaimed.

**A/N: Yep. Sorry if it's short. I was busy DX Plus, sorta running low on ideas. So, let's call this a filler chapter before the real meat, okay? :3 **


	14. Chapter 14 Maze

**A/N: Thanks to alwaysingirl and RoseWing for their reviews! Yeah, I haven't played OoT in a couple months so I can't really remember how the Lost Woods music worked. I do vaguely remember it dimming sometimes. Just my imagination? DX**

**Let's go!**

_Chapter 14 - Maze_

Zelda tossed the dagger around in her palm as she circled the wolf, which was keeping a wary eye on her as well. From its appearance, she concluded that it was a Wolfos, a creature she only read of in books. It was a lot bigger and... creepier in person, though. According to her books, if the Wolfos is under attack, it raises its arms to its face. Its arms have a huge quantity of muscle, which is toned so much that hitting them is likened to hitting solid rock. She decided that needles would be better to start the fight.

She made the first move, throwing a needle from her supply. The Wolfos ducked at the last second as the weapon flew over its head into the ivy covered wall behind. Zelda flicked out another needle, readying herself for the Wolfos' move.

It ran up to Zelda, breaking the steady rhythm of circling, and lunged one of its hands at her head. She dodged at the last second and quickly jabbed her dagger into the Wolfos' stomach area, causing it to cry out in pain. She grinned to herself.

_It looks like they aren't protected everywhere._

The Wolfos somersaulted back into its original position, clearly annoyed that it had let her hit it so easily. This time, it patiently circled her, not attacking. This went on for another five minutes.

'Come on! I don't want a boring battle!' she shouted at it. It wasn't convinced, so it continued to circle her. She growled and flicked out another needle, firing it at the Wolfos' chest. The Wolfos raised its arm quickly, and the needle bounced off it harmlessly. Zelda roared and flinged one again, this time at the Wolfos head. However, the Wolfos was quick, and it ducked again, the needle drifting harmlessly over it.

Zelda then noticed the wound she made was quickly crusting over, forming a scab. By the time that heals, it would be back to near perfect health once again. Zelda decided to take the direct approach.

Roaring a battle cry, she jumped forward, dagger raised. The Wolfos seemed taken by surprise, but it still brought up its arm at the last second. Zelda ignored it, and delivered a swift kick to its stomach. The Wolfos cried out in pain, jumping back a few steps. The wound that was healing so well opened up once again, bleeding intensely. The Wolfos looked down and gave a loud roar, now enraged. Zelda smiled.

_Now we're talkin'! _

She shot forward and stab at the Wolfos' stomach again, giving it no time to recover. It narrowly avoided another injury by throwing down its arm, the dagger plinking off it weakly. Zelda smiled and brought up her right arm. Her needle-firing arm. She shot two at point blank range right into the Wolfos' head, causing it to fall back onto the ground. It howled, bleeding from its head and stomach. There was so much blood, whenever Zelda attacked all she could see was a bright red blur. She kicked it in the head twice, then in the stomach. It cried out now, crawling away, desperate to get away from this maniacal attacker. She laughed and kicked it in the rump, causing it to fall over. It seemed almost comedic, her beating the living daylights out of this so-called 'dangerous' monster. A princess, of all people!

She decided to end its misery by stabbing it in the back twice, causing it to scream out. With a final howl, it burst into flames, leaving nothing more than a burn mark and a puddle of blood. Zelda wiped the dagger onto the grass to clean off the blood of her latest kill, grimacing at how much there was. Perhaps she needed to tone down her temporary insanity just a tad.

She noticed noises coming from the entrance to the next area. Looking at her map, she found it was like a little maze, leading up to the Forest Temple, where she would next meet Link. She crept up to the entrance, looking around the wall surreptitiously. There was a huge boar-like monster at one end of the alley, menacing in appearance. It held a large spear, patrolling the area slowly. Zelda had never seen them before, but it didn't look like she could take them out by herself. Looking at the other end of the alley, she could see another way around to the next junction.

She decided to sneak, like any Sheikah would.

She waited as the monster turned its back on the entrance where she was, then quickly sneaked around clinging to the wall. What she didn't count on was the monster turning around so quickly.

A roar sounded behind her. She looked back, and the monster was running at an alarming speed, spear pointed at her. Judging from the spear's size, she concluded that she would be very dead if the monster got to her with it. Running now, sprinting, she turned the corner before the monster reached her, missing by inches. Looking back, the monster's spear was wedged into the wall, with the monster trying hard to pull it out. However, at the speed it was going, that was going to take a while.

She chuckled; apparently unfazed that she came so close to an early grave, and turned the next corner.

XxX

After a whopping two hours, she made it through the makeshift maze. About half that time was spent waiting for the monsters to turn and walk back. They walked so slow that Zelda wondered how the first one had almost killed her by running so fast. Maybe they only could walk and run, but not in the middle.

From where she was, there was a straight shot down to where the Temple entrance was. The only downside, however, was that yet another monster blocked her path.

'Dammit!' she swore. The monster ahead caught sight of her and took out a weapon. Surprisingly, it wasn't a spear, but rather a large club. Then, quick as a flash, it struck te ground, causing a wave of dirt and shockwaves to travel toward her. She flipped sideways, the wave travelling past her, weakening as it got further away. It appeared that she had two choices: fight the thing, or get past it. Judging from its size, she decided that option two was a bit less impossible.

Putting all her weapons back into place, she sprinted up to the beast, ready to jump. The beast did what she expected and swung for her horizontally. She jumped over the club and lightly tapped it with her foot, giving her more momentum. Then, she threw her hand down onto the beast's helmet, so light that once she got past, the beast looked around, confused as to where she had disappeared to. She laughed quietly as she ran through to the entrance.

As she entered, she noticed something very familiar. Right in the middle of the clearing was a raised crest, a Triforce symbol painted onto the front. The only difference was a faint green pattern above the symbol. There was also a tree at the end, covered with vines. From how the tree's bark texture was, Zelda judged that one would need a Hookshot to get up there, an item shown to her by Dampé back in Kakariko.

Her thoughts were interrupted by movement behind her. She turned to see Link, finally awake, Master Sword in hand.

'Who are you?' he asked. His voice was much deeper than when she had first met him in that vision.

'I am Sheik. Survivor of the Sheikahs...' she began.

'Why are you here?' Link interrupted.

'I've been waiting for you, Hero of Time...

'When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destined to be Sages, who dwell in the five temples. One in a deep forest... One on a high mountain... One under a vast lake... One within the house of the dead... One inside a goddess of the sand...

'Unfortunately, equipped as you currently are, you cannot even enter the temple... But, if you believe what I'm saying, you should head to Kakariko Village...

She paused as she brought out the harp.

'In order to come back here again, play the Minuet of Forest.'

Effortlessly, she played the notes. Surprisingly, with all the recent events, she was still able to recall them.

As she finished, Link pulled out the Ocarina of Time. Ah, so he had got it then.

He then played the notes with ease, perhaps picking up the song even quicker than she had with Rauru. The familiar green light surrounded them as he played.

After finishing, Zelda nodded.

'Excellent. Now whenever you want to return here, play that song and you will come to this exact spot.'

Link nodded.

'Thank you,' he said, and ran out.

Zelda's legs suddenly became weak as the feeling that she was being dragged into unconsciousness occured again. She smiled faintly as she fell to the ground, gone.

**A/N: Yeah... I kinda missed a few details about Sheik (she first meets Link at the Temple of Time, not the forest), and I also used Sheik's dialogue from the game in the little speech. Anyway, hope you liked! Forgive any typos! **


	15. Chapter 15 March

**A/N: You know what? After thanking alwaysingirl and RoseWing for their reviews so much, I'm gonna abbreviate the phrase to make it easier. So, ttaarwftr!**

**Yeah, I kinda messed up the timeline, so I'm gonna do my own thing, okay? **

_Chapter 15 - March_

Zelda awoke in the same place she had first met Rauru in. The waterfalls, the Triforce crest, everything as familiar as yesterday's encounter.

'Hello, Zelda,' Rauru spoke.

'Hello, Rauru,' Zelda replied.

Rauru looked her up and down.

'Well I can see you've been in a few fights since we last spoke,' he laughed. Confused, Zelda looked down. And gasped. Perhaps there was blood in the Wolfos fight than she had first thought, but her outfit was stained in many places with blood, cuts everywhere.

'Oh, I'm sorry, Rauru!' she blurted.

'What? Oh, don't be! I knew that you would face more challenges after you left. After all, why did you think I let you keep it?' He laughed again, an incredibly hearty hoot. It reminded her of Daisy in some ways.

'Anyway, no need to worry. In fact...' He flicked his wrist, and the water surrounding Zelda curled up around her, forming a ball. At first she was worried, but a lovely feeling began to wash over her as the water touched her tired skin. It felt like she was in there for minutes, but in reality she was only there for six seconds.

As sudden as it appeared, the ball fell to the floor. Looking down at herself now, Zelda found she had no bloodstains or cuts to her clothing.

'Better now?' Rauru smiled. Maybe. She couldn't tell with that big beard.

'Yes, thank you,' she smiled 'back'. She was also feeling really tired, but somehow she had more energy, ready to fight anyhting that will come her way. Even those huge beasts in the labyrinth.

'As instructed, you have completed your first task. That is, to teach the Minuet of Forest. Now, you will learn a new song. A bit more complicated than the last, perhaps. But still, relatively easy.'

He brought out his harp seemingly from nowhere, and began to play the notes. The song was upbeat, just like Minuet of Forest, but perhaps even more so. As the notes sounded, Zelda could have sworn that she heard little drum beats, tapping out the rhythm of a march. The eight notes were played twice, with a beautiful glissando of strings sounding to finish the song.

'You know the drill here,' Rauru nodded.

Zelda took out her harp, resting it on her arm like last time. Remembering which note was which, she played the melody. Again, the faint little drum beats sounded again, though she ignored them. As she played, a faint red glow covered the walls, pulsing with every note. She finished, and they returned to their normal colourless sheen.

'Excellent,' Rauru said after a few seconds. Zelda put away the harp.

'With this song, travel to Death Mountain and wait at the crest there. Link will meet you shortly afterward. However, the temperature in there can get extremely high. Therefore, I suggest you take this...' He took out a small item, whihch looked like a small necklace.

'With this necklace, you can withstand any temperature, hot or cold.'

Zelda took it gratefully and put it on. 'Thank you, Rauru.'

'Zelda... I'll see you again.'

Zelda nodded, and felt hands dragging her into unconsciousness again. Falling forward, she fell asleep.

XxX

When she awoke, she was at the entrance to Kokiri Forest. She was confused at first, but she guessed that Rauru had warped her there to save her the trouble of going through those beasts again for another two hours. Grateful she was then, as the initial adrenaline rush she had was beginning to wear off. It was night, so she figured that she was in the forest and woods for at least half a day.

Suddenly, a skeletal hand broke through the soil in front of her, and she sighed, flicking out the dagger.

'Oh, for goddess' sake!'

**A/N: Short chapter is short, so let's call it a filler, shall we? XD Review! **


	16. Chapter 16 Death

**A/N: Ttaarwftr (XP)! Yeah, I'm like that too RoseWing. I think with longer chapters you can't really remember most of it unless its really good. So maybe it's a good thing that my chapter is short!**

**Also, I wouldn't worry about that guy, alwaysingirl. He's just a lonely troll. Ignore him and he'll go away :P**

**Read on!**

_Chapter 16 - Death _

Zelda had finally made it to the entrance of Kakariko Village after about three hours of sprinting. To pass the time, she had counted how many stalchilds she had killed on the way, and the total came up to twenty-three. And not one scratch on her. Perhaps she could awaken those sages herself.

She sighed and put her dagger and needles away as she walked up to the staircase. Oddly, she said that she would be away for very long, yet she had only been gone a day. In actuality, she would try to avoid being seen by anyone, as she needed to get to Death Mountain quickly. Thank goodness it was night, then, the perfect cover for anyone wanting to sneak.

She crouched down and began to crawl up the stairs to the village. Unfortunately, by the time she got up to the top of the stairs, she saw the soldier that was always stationed at the gate.

'Damn, forgot about him,' she whispered to herself.

Improvising, she picked up a rock next to her, and threw it in the general direction of the soldier. He seemed to perk up at the slight scuffling sound the rock made, and looked in the complete opposite direction to where Zelda was. She took the opportunity and slid along the wall, using the thin line of shadow as a cover. As she got to the entrance, she slipped around and hid behind the pillar, looking out for the guard. He was standing in his original position, looking out toward the staircase. Apparently, he had not seen her enter.

She cheered silently and crouched again, quietly crabwalking to the seond staircase. Apparently still undetected, she slithered up the stairs and past the buildings, crouching lower whenever going past a window. It was only when she reached the last set of stairs that she remembered the second guard at the exit toward Death Mountain.

She swore out loud, and only ducked before the soldier looked her way. After a few seconds, she looked up from her hiding spot and saw the soldier looking in his original direction again. Trying the same approach, she picked up a rock, and threw it in the opposite direction of the guard. Like the other, he looked in the direction of the rock, and Zelda creeped past him in the darkness, fast yet silent. She went past the railings again, hiding behind the pillar. The soldier was looking in the same direction as before.

Smiling, she ran off up the trail, feet as light as feathers. If this was how the guards were in Hyrule, they would have been invaded long ago by something like Keese.

Running up the trail, she noticed some things. Firstly, there were new enemies up ahead that she had never seen before. They looked like Skulltulas, but more... streamlined, perhaps and more colourful. Also, as she crept up she noticed there were lots of holes in the walls, and empty chests in them. The holes looked like they were caused by an explosion of some sort. She guessed that Link ahd probably travelled here as a child as well.

She flicked out her dagger and some needles and crept up to the monsters. They looked pretty feeble, she figured. Perhaps one needle in the head would be enough.

She threw the needle with deadly accuracy right into the monster's eye. It screeched in pain as the needle made contact, but didn't drop dead as Zelda anticipated it would. On the contrary, it jumped up and began leaping in different directions erratically. Zelda had to jump back as the creature almost landed on her head with a few jumps. Its legs were covered in spikes, So if it made contact with her, the damage would be pretty severe.

After another backflip out of the way, she threw another couple of needles. The first one hit the monster in the 'abdomen', while the other hit one of its legs. It screeched as all it legs fell apart, and, mid-jump, it burst into flames. After the flames died down, Zelda spotted another in the distance. Doing the same to that one, she continued up the trail. When she reached a junction, she checked her map. After doing so, she headed right. Going left would mean entering Dodongo's Cavern, and she didn't want that.

As she ran up the steep slope, she felt the air beginning to warm. Also, she could hear a faint rumbling sound in the distance. She stopped for a second, trying to determine what the noise was. It was incredibly smoky, so she couldn't really see what was up ahead. However, she could see little indentations on the ground, as if lots of heavy things rained down and hit it at the same time.

Cautiously walking up, she could feel the air getting even warmer, and the smog seemed to get thicker with every step she took forward. The little indentations also seemed to get more frequent.

Suddenly, she heard a sound from overhead. Looking up, she saw a small meteorite falling toward her. It wasn't big enough to kill her, but because of the heat, it wouldn't be pretty if it landed either. She sidestepped just before it hit, and it shattered as it struck the ground. Almost after it broke, a louder sound filled her ears, signalling that even more were coming.

She cursed and sprinted up the slope, dodging falling meteorites as she ran. Because of the faint light given off by Dath Mountain, she could see the small shadows that the meteorites made before they hit. Using them, she dodged easily and kept running.

Eventually she came to a wall and the meteorites stopped falling. It had lots of handholds, so she could climb up easily. The only downside was the Skulltulas skittering around on it.

She flicked put some needles and expertly shot each one, causing them to drop to the ground. She winced as their legs folded inwards while they burst into flames. Not the most pleasant way to go, perhaps. She scaled the monster-free wall, easily grabbing the bricks which were jutting out and pulling herself. It only took a few seconds and she was at the top.

Here she could see two entrances. The sign next to the first entrance read 'Great Fairy's Fountain'. This wasn't her destination, so she entered the other entrance instead. The heat was unbearable, even with Rauru's charmed necklace on, and all she wanted to do was exit as soon as possible.

Hopefully Link won't take too long.

**A/N: Ahh, much better and longer. Review! **


	17. Chapter 17 Heat

**A/N: Thans to alwaysingirl, RoseWing, and (NEW REVIEWER!) midnafan123456789 for their reviews!**

**In response to midnafan, yes I think the chapters could be longer too, but sometimes I draw a blank when writing, so I just post the chapter and think afterwards about what to write. Also, there has a been debate as to whether Sheik is male or female. But, since I think she's a female, and that she has been so for the entire story, Sheik will be female for the rest of the story. **

**Also, sorry for not updating for a while, so I'll TRY to make the chapter quite long.**

_Chapter 17 - Heat_

Delving even deeper into Death Mountain, Zelda was slapping herself for not bringing anything to drink. Sure, she had potions, but she wanted to save those for fights. Plus, they wouldn't be very thirst quenching either.

Wiping her brow for the umpteenth time, she jumped over a large gap, keeping a wary eye on any lava spurts. She could've sworn that whenever she jumped over, the heat intensified greatly. When she reached the next cliff, she bent her knees to lessen the impact, tucking and rolling for extra distance. As she stood, she wiped her brow again. Maybe it was the bandages on her head, or the scarf covering her mouth. She wasn't taking either off though.

As she ran a bit further, she came across a different entrance. This must have been the way through from Goron City. She ignored it and turned right, to come face to face with a broken bridge. The first half was completely gone, and a bit further down there was a plank of wood jutting out from the rock face. The rest of the bridge was still intact on the other side. Zelda breathed out heavily, walking backwards from the bridge. When she reached the wall, she breathed out again, and pushed herself off, going for a full sprint. As soon as she reached the point where the bridge ended, she jumped.

It felt like ages. Again, she could feel the heat intensify as she leaped over, arms outstretched. If she didn't time this right, she was gone. No question. And it wouldn't exactly be a quick death either. Thankfully, the leap went quite far. She grabbed the plank that was jutting out and used it to vault to the other side. As she landed, she bent her knees and fell forward, lessening the damage to her legs. Unfortunately, this side of the bridge was also pretty weak. Probably because of the constant heat emanating from underneath.

She quickly scrabbled to the ground ahead, making sure not to make the bridge collapse. Luckily, it didn't. Now looking ahead, she could see another Triforce crest, with marking on it. However, unlike the forest, these markings were red rather than green.

Now, all she had to do was wait. It wasn't long before she heard a noise from the bridge area. She saw Link, swinging gracefully over the gap using his Hookshot, and running across the bridge. Zelda winced as it creaked underneath his heavy boots. It could break at any second, but it didn't, and he made it across to where she was.

'Hello Link,' she greeted him as he walked up to her. He was wearing a red tunic instead of his usual green. Probably to withstand this heat like her, she thought.

'It is something that grows over time... a true friendship. A feeling in the heart that becomes even stronger over time... The passion of friendship will soon blossom into a righteous power and through it, you will know which way to go... This song is dedicated to the power of the heart. Listen to the Bolero of Fire...'

She brought ot her harp again, and played the cheery tune, remembering and playing it flawlessly. Again, the area became shrouded in a bright red as she played. When she finished, it returned to its original red. Red, albeit not as bright.

As if on cue, Link took out his Ocarina, and played the Bolero of Fire. Again, he picked it up straight off. Quite a feat. From the looks of the instrument, it looked a lot harder to play than her little harp. Again, the bright red fell upon them both, pulsing with the notes. Link finished, and the room returned to normal.

'Link... I'll see you again...'

'Hey, wait...' Link began, trying to walk up to her. Zelda panicked and threw down an Ember seed, which is used to start fires for cooking and such. It hit the ground and immediately burst into flames, creating a large wall of fire. Link just looked on, shocked. She then threw down a Deku nut, and scrambled up the cliff face out of sight. She could see Link, clearly puzzled, looking around, trying to find any sign of her. After a few minutes, he shrugged nonchalantly and ran into the Fire Temple.

Zelda smiled, glad to have that over and done with. Suddenly, the 'dragging into unconsciousness' feeling happened again. She just sighed and lay on the ground, waiting to fall asleep.

XxX

Again, she awakened in the Sacred Realm. The first thing she saw was Rauru, but then she noticed another figure beside him, standing on the green pedestal.

'Hello, Zelda!' he laughed cheerily.

'Hello, Rauru,' she replied, not taking her eyes of the Kokiri girl.

He laughed again, and held out his hand to the person.

'Zelda, I believe you and Saria haven't met yet. Zelda, Saria. Saria, Zelda.'

The child smiled up at her.

'Hello! I'm Saria, the Sage of the Forest. A pleasure to meet you!'

'Pleasure's all mine,' Zelda mumbled.

'Okay, Zelda,' Rauru said, 'As directed, you have taught Link the Bolero of Fire. There are two things I must now tell you. Listen closely.'

Zelda nodded and leaned forward. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Saria lean forward too.

'Firstly, you must learn a new song. This song which is the embodiment of water, is what you must teach Link next. This is the Serenade of Water.'

He took out his harp, and played the simple five note melody. As he played, the room became covered in blue hues, pulsing with every beat. He finished with another beautiful glissando of notes.

Zelda took out her harp as he finished, and played the simple melody. Memorising it clearly, she put it back into her bag.

'Fantastic! Oh, you two are excellent!' Saria shouted as Zelda finished. Zelda smiled at the child's enthusiasm.

'Thank you, Saria,' Rauru smiled at the child, 'Now, for the nxt I must tell you.

'The next sage cannot meet Link unless you save her first.'

'What do you mean, save her? And who is she?' Zelda asked.

'It is Ruto, the princess of the Zoras. She is the next Sage which Link must awaken: the Sage of Water. However, at the time being, she is trapped under the ice at Zora's Domain.'

'But that's impossible. People have said that she is lost, yes, but not under the ice,' Zelda interrupted.

'Yes. However, those sayings are not true. She is still alive, although due to the freezing temperatures, she may not last very long. That's why you must go to Zora's Domain and free her.'

'I see.'

'Well, now that you know of the Serenade of Water, and your next objective, it's time to go.'

'Thank you, Rauru.'

The 'dragging into unconsciousness' feeling happened again, and Zelda fell to the ground. She could see Saria go forward, but as she closed her eyes, she saw Rauru hold her back.

XxX

She awoke in Hyrule Field, at the entrance of Kakariko. She silently thanked Rauru for letting her bypass the village altogether. It was beginning to fade into morning, and Daisy would be getting up right about now.

Now all she had to do was get to Zora's Domain and save Ruto. But first things first, she ran up to the Zora's River and dove in into it, sighing in bliss as steam flew off her body. She wished she could lie in the water the rest of her life. But she needed to get going. Jumping out of the water, she began to sprint down next to the river's edge.

Hopefully she'd get to Ruto before she froze to death.

**A/N: There you go midnafan123456789! Hope you like! Review! **


	18. Chapter 18 River

**A/N: Thanks to alwaysingirl, RoseWing and (NEW REVIEWER!) Kirkysaurus for their reviews!**

**I don't know, Kirkysaurus. When I started this story I expected the worst, but it's been better than I thought. Thanks for that, though!**

**Me too, alwaysingirl. I prefer cold to hot. Maybe that's why I like winter the best XP**

**Yeah, me too RoseWing. Actually I only found out Sheik was a girl when I played SSBB XP**

_Chapter 18 - River_

In about half an hour, Zelda made it to the pathway to Zora's Domain. It was freezing cold, even with Rauru's necklace on, and Zelda noticed herself shivering subconsciously. If she could feel the effects from all the way back here, she wondered how bad the cold was at the actual destination. Perhaps a first step to heat up would be to start running up to it.

She jogged on the spot for a few seconds before jogging forward. There was a large unnecessary fence in front of her, blocking her way. The two ways to get past the fence were simple. One, climb it. This wasn't really possible because of the sharp spikes at the top which could very well impale her if she lost her footing. Two, go into the river for mere seconds to go past the fence and onto the dry land after it. Although she was very unlikely to die from this method, she would be pretty freezing afterwards. The air's temperature compared with the freezing water wouldn't be the least bit pleasant. But it had to be done.

She walked up to the river, gingerly dipping a foot into the shallow part in the beginning. The water reared up around her foot and bit at it with fangs of ice, and she gasped and yanked her foot out of the water. Suddenly, movement started to occur under the water a few metres away from her. She couldn't be sure whether it was the stepping into te water that set it off or the gasp, but nonetheless a large octopus-like creature shot out of the water, roaring. She recognized this creature as an Octorok. Easy enough to kill perhaps, one needle or two and it should be over.

The Octorok made the first move, firing a small stone at her from its snout and diving back underwater. She easily deflected it with a punch and threw a needle of her own. However, the Octorok was quite deep under the water, and the needle slowed down dramatically, harmlessly bouncing off the Octorok's skin. It jumped out of the water and fired another rock at her. She dodged it easily. Noticing that her needles won't work when the monster is underwater, she tried to hit it while it was out.

It went on for a while, mostly because the monster had ducked down by the time Zelda threw the needle at it. She seemed to be getting more and more frustrated. Her arms and legs ached from deflecting the bullets away from her. There appeared to be no way to defeat the monster for the time being, and it was wasting precious time. Perhaps the direct approach would work quicker.

After dodging the monster's latest bullet, she jumped right into the river. Her body almost shut down from the shock of the transition from cold to freezing. She recovered in mere seconds and yanked out her dagger. The Octorok seemed taken aback at the warrior's sudden change in behaviour and stopped moving for a second. It was only when she stabbed it in the head that it reacted.

It screeched and flailed out its tentacles at her. Unfortunately, since she was in water, she couldn't jump back fast enough because of the high water resistance. She cried out in pain as it jabbed her in the stomach twice. Clutching at her stomach, she got even more angry and slashed at it so many times that it was like her arms were a blur. The Octorok didn't fight back once, and after a minute it went still.

She sheathed the dagger and climbed up onto the land in front of the fence. Now the adrenaline was starting to wear off, the cold began to get to her again, only this time much more intense. She curled into a ball, shivering violently. Sneezing a few times, she hugged her knees to herself to get warmer. Her feet and hands were numb and her legs felt like they'd just been through a marathon. It was beginning to warm up as the sun got higher, and her feet became real once again. She stood up awkwardly and continued up the path.

XxX

After two hours, three more Octoroks, and five stops, she made it to the waterfall that leads to Zora's Domain. It looked incredibly fast, and it would be impossible to jump through to the entrance without getting forced backwards. Suddenly, she noticed a Triforce engraved in the ground underneath her feet. There was also a small inscription underneath.

'The flow of this waterfall serves the King of Hyrule. When the King slumbers, so too do these falls.'

After thinking for a second, Zelda took out her harp. She reasoned that the only thing connecting her father to sleep would be a lullaby. The same lullaby he taught Zelda as a child.

She didn't have to look once since she was so familiar with the notes. It was easy. In fact, it was in total only eleven notes. Nostalgia brimmed up within her as she played. This song was taught to her not only by her father but also her mother and Impa. She wondered how Impa was coping. Rather, she wondered where she was in the first place. It had been seven years since she had seen anyone.

She finished, and the waterfall split into two, revealing an entrance. She smiled and put her harp back into her bag, then jumped through to the opening.

The cold almost knocked her over as she entered. And she though the _river_ was bad? It wasn't like the Zora's Domain she had been told about, which meant to have lots of warm cascading water and a huge waterfall. Instead, there was only ice as far as the eye could see, and the waterfall was frozen mid-stream. There were absolutely no signs of life either.

She walked in further, and as she walked she could see faint outlines of bodies underneath the ice, unmoving. Zelda sighed and bowed her head in respect for the fallen tribe. As she remained motionless for a second, silent, she could her a faint knocking sound. She had to prick up her pointed ears in order to fully know where it was coming from. There it was again, a muffled knocking, urgent yet lethargic. And... shouting? Yes, shouting.

She went to her left, and the volume of the noise heightened. She got close to it now, even though the shouting was too muffled to make out what was being said. She looked around, and her eyes fell on a patch of ice a lot thinner than the rest. Underneath was a fist that kept rapping at the ice, and more shouting. As Zelda looked closer, she could see the figure of a Zora girl, shouting frantically and hitting the ice wall.

Zelda quickly kicked at the ice, shocking the girl into stopping. She kicked it again, many more times, until she realized it wasn't doing any good. She stopped and thought for a second before she got a brainwave. She pulled out an Ember Seed and threw it down quickly before it singed her fingers. It hit the ice and exploded outwards, a large wall of flame covering the ice. As the flame died down, she noticed that there were now many cracks in the ice where the girl was. Seizing the opportunity, Zelda kicked the ice and it shattered instantly.

'Hey down there! Take my hand!' Zelda shouted down. She plunged her hand into the water and screamed as her hand numbed instantly. She resisted the urge to pull it out as the Zora's hand grabbed hers and she hoisted the girl out onto the ice. The girl fell onto her stomach, gasping for breath and clutching at her throat.

'Ah... ah...' she whimpered. Zelda just watched, nursing her hand.

'Hey. You alright?' Zelda whispered to the girl. The girl just sputtered weakly and sat up, shivering like crazy.

'Want a blanket?' Zelda asked her.

The girl just nodded frantically and held out her hands. Zelda pulled out the blanket and handed it to the girl, who wrapped it around herself like a cocoon.

'Th... Thank you...' the girl whispered.

There was silence for a few seconds, only filled by the girl's chattering teeth.

Eventually the girl asked, 'Who are you?'

'I am Sheik,' Zelda proudly stated, 'one of the last of the Sheikahs.'

'I see,' the girl replied, 'well, my name is Ruto.'

Zelda's mind flashed in recognition. This was the girl she had to save from the ice.

'Come on, we should get you out of this cold,' Zelda said. The girl nodded frantically again and stood on shaky legs. Zelda had to grab her before she fell.

As they left the Zora's Domain, a creature watched them with burning yellow eyes from the top of a rock face. The young Zora was shivering, and the other one was talking to her, perhaps trying to comfort her. The creature's eyes glinted with hate as it reached to its scarred cheek. Its cracked voice only uttered one word as it filled with anger.

'You...'


	19. Chapter 19 Revenge

**A/N: Thanks to alwaysingirl, RoseWing and Kirkysaurus for their reviews! Yup, my first attempt at a cliffhanger was there. Was it okay?**

**Also, Kirkysaurus, here's a hint. It's not Ganon, but the creature has been in the story already :3**

**Broke 40 reviews! Thanks guys! ^_^**

_Chapter 19 - Revenge_

The Octoroks didn't reappear in the river, making Zelda sigh with relief. Ruto was still shivering, even though the air began to warm as they walked away, and that she had a blanket on her shoulders. They hadn't really talked much since they left and the silence was starting to bug her. On the other hand, she didn't really have anything to say that was really tactful. After all, the girl had just lost all the people she had ever known under the ice.

'How are you feeling?' She decided to go for the more 'neutral' approach.

'O... okay,' Ruto stuttered.

'Sure? You're shivering quite a lot.'

'No, it's alright.'

Zelda shut her mouth, mostly because the cold air hurt her teeth. Instead, she and Ruto just walked in silence to the exit of the river, Ruto's chattering teeth filling the silence on occasion.

XxX

They made it to the exit and crossed the river to Hyrule Field. The sun was quite high in the sky, and Zelda guessed it was almost noon. Even though the temperature was starting to warm, Ruto was still shivering like mad. Zelda decided the best option was to make a fire for Ruto to warm her and herself up.

'Can I have that blanket please?' she asked Ruto. Ruto looked confused, but still gave the blanket to Zelda, shivering violently afterward. Zelda laid out the blanket on the grass like a rug and beckoned Ruto over.

'Sit here. I'm going to make a fire.'

Ruto nodded, still shivering. Zelda walked up to a nearby tree and climbed up expertly, pulling off branches and throwing them to the ground below. Once she felt she had a sufficient amount, she dropped down and scooped it up in her arms. As she walked back, she dropped the wood in front of Ruto. Finally, she threw an Ember Seed onto the dry branches, and as it made contact, the wood was engulfed in flames. The process was too fast for neither Sheik nor Ruto to see.

'Sit a bit closer and warm yourself up,' Sheik said. Ruto complied by shuffling closer to the mini inferno, putting out her hands in front of it. After a few minutes, she started to shiver less. Zelda had lots of questions for her, that must have been answered whether Ruto wanted to or not.

'Ruto,' she spoke. Ruto looked at her with an inquiring face. 'Can you remember anything that happened to Zora's Domain?'

Ruto didn't seem the least bit fazed. 'Yes, but it's quite a long story.'

'That's alright.'

'Okay. Then here goes.

'It all started seven years ago. I was feeding our guardian deity, Lord Jabu-Jabu, when all of a sudden the big galoot swallowed me along with his actual dinner. I wrote a message and put it in a bottle, then threw it out of his blowhole. From then on all I did was wait to see if anyone would come.

'After a few days, I heard the sound of rushing air. I went back to the entrance where my would-be saviour was standing. He was young, probably about nine or ten, and he had some weird green clothes on that I'd never seen before. Also, he had a really annoying glowing thing that circled his head, shouting out warnings every few seconds. Oh, but he was good-looking, even though he was young... Anyway, I'm getting off topic.

'He told me that he needed the Spiritual Stone of the Zoras, that is the Zora's Sapphire. Usually I'd only give the stone to someone I was going to marry, so that's exactly what I told him. You should have seen the look on his face!

'Anyway, we went through Jabu-Jabu fairly quickly. By the end, though, I was taken captive by some weird jellyish thing. What does anyone do in distress? Well they shout!

'I was shouting myself hoarse for the guy to come, and he did only an hour later, after which I saw him slaughter the thing with ease. Oh, how dashing he was then, swinging his sword this way and that, oblivious as the beast screeched and thrashed about. He killed it and I escaped with him.

'When we went out, he looked zoned out, and I took the opportunity to take a closer look. When he finally noticed, he fell backwards into the water! I tell you, I don't know whether I would have laughed as much as I did if I didn't stop myself.

'Once I got myself under control, I gave him the stone. Well, he did save my life, right? Anyway, after that I told him we were now engaged. So, naturally he ran right off! Rude, I know.

'After I got back to the Domain, my dad just stopped crying and hugged me. Well, he tried, but then again he can hardly move. For a while, everything turned back to normal. However, disaster struck only three years later.

'A dark man with evil eyes came to the Domain and threatened my father to serve under him. My father disagreed, and the man became very angry. He ran off, shouting,"Your tribe shall meet its end some day!" I was really scared, but my father comforted me, so I didn't worry about it for a while.

'That is until a few months afterward. The temperature dramatically fell, and the water started to get cooler and cooler. The Zoras didn't think anything of it, probably thinking it was a freak weather thing. One day though, I woke up, and the water was completely frozen, with all the Zoras underneath. It was so cold that the waterfall had also frozen, and it would take quite a lot to do it. Worst thing was that my father was also caught up in the attack, covered in a stranged red ice. I tried everything, but I couldn't thaw it. He just stayed there, and to this day hasn't moved.

'All I did was walk around, moping. Everyone was dead, I was alone. What was I to do? I just stayed, doing nothing. Sometimes I would venture out into Hyrule Field, but other than that, I was bored to death.

'It was only recently that I got stuck under the ice. I was just walking around the Domain when I slipped and fell through the ice. The water was so cold that I passed out when I went in. When I woke up, a thin layer of ice blocked my only exit. I was there for a while before you came and got me out.'

Zelda was listening all the way through the story. Now she knew exactly how far Ganondorf's rule had spread, and she had to stop it.

'Thank you, Ruto,' she whispered.

The faster she taught Link the way the better. Ganondorf will pay.

'Oh, what a sad story,' a sneering voice called out behind them. Zelda turned around, and her jaw fell.

'A fitting fate for that tribe for disobeying the mighty Ganondorf,' the husky voice bellowed, 'I was just walking around when I heard that little story when who should I find but you?'

'No way...' Zelda mumbled.

'Yes way! This is what you get for attacking me all those years ago. You should know that a Lizalfos never loses a grudge, however long it has been.'

Drazzil flicked out a knife, and shifted into a combat stance.

'Prepare to die.'


	20. Chapter 20 Fight

**A/N: Thanks again to alwaysingirl, RoseWing and Kirkysaurus for their reviews! **

**Apologies for the extremely late update, guys. Turns out being sick, having friends over or having to finish a project isn't really good for writing :P**

**So, it's Drazzil vs Zelda. Who will win?**

_Chapter 20 - Fight_

Wasting no time, Drazzil lunged at Zelda, who only dodged at the last second. He didn't give up, slashing at her at high speeds. Thankfully, her reflexes were so finely tuned she could dodge each one.

'Ruto! Get out of here!' she shouted as she dodged another attempt. Ruto's eyes widened at the sound of her name, and got up to run. Zelda turned back to her attacker and flicked out her dagger.

'Foolish girl!' Drazzil shouted as he attempted another lunge, which was dodged, 'you think that puny weapon is enough to scar me?'

'It had before,' Zelda replied as she effortlessly dodged another slash. Drazzil cursed, took out another dagger, and started to slash at her with both of them at once. Zelda found this a lot harder to dodge, but she still managed. Just. He was getting the upper hand, even if she was dodging all of his attacks. After she noticed, she began to attack as well.

Their attacks alternated with such speed and grace one could have mistaken the routine for an elaborate dance act. It seemed rhythmic. After Drazzil attacked, she flung her arm out. And vice versa. Over and over again. She actually started to get bored even though this_ was _a fight to the death. Drazzil was getting really frustrated, she could tell. Sometimes his attacks would get more ferocious, start to weaken, and then he'd pick it up again a few seconds later. He did look really worse for wear, though. His cheek had a large scar, and he had many small scars along his arms and face.

'Hey, you've really let yourself go since we've last met,' Zelda teased.

'Don't remind me,' Drazzil growled as she dodged another swipe.

They kept at it for another five minutes, slashing at each other over and over. Even though Zelda wasn't even tired, she could tell Drazzil was starting to breathe more heavily as he attacked. If they kept this up he'd probably collapse from exhaustion rather than a dagger to the face. Zelda decided to finish the fight quickly by throwing in some kicks.

Another ten minutes passed, and Zelda's attacks stayed regular, though Drazzil would only dodge them by mere centimetres. He was gasping now, panting for breath. His attacks were much slower than Zelda's, and she could easily duck and dive over them. In time she grew bored, and doubled the speed of her attacks. Drazzil dodged the first swipe, but her other dagger stabbed him in the arm, causing him to cry out in pain and drop his dagger. Zelda smiled and kicked him in the stomach, making him fall.

'Argh!' he grunted as he landed. She kicked him again across the face. He held it and spat out blood. Not only was he bleeding from the nose, but the wound in his arm was also bleeding badly. He tried to stand, but he was so weak that his knees buckled and he fell right back down. Zelda just walked up to him casually and jabbed him in the face with her fist, causing more blood to drip out of his nose.

'Ouch...' Drazzil groaned. It definitely looked like she was going to win the fight.

That is until his ride came.

A loud rumble even though it was distant, the wagon was slowly but surely edging up to where Drazzil lay. Zelda just shook her head in disbelief. What a coward.

As if he gained more strength in the last few seconds, Drazzil stood shakily and waved to the wagon. It responded by rousing the horses into a faster gallop.

'Sorry I have to leave you little girl, but I can't be late!' He jumped onto the wagon and waved at her cheekily. 'Next time you won't be lucky!'

And then the wagon sped away from her. She sprinted after it, bellowing insults and threats. Nevertheless, it continued on its path to safety. It didn't look like she could catch up to it any time soon. Zelda just gave up and wiped the blood soaked dagger on the grass, before putting it back into the holster. After walking back to the spot where they first were, Ruto came out from behind a tree.

'Wow, Sheik! That was amazing! You really knocked that guy out the park! Too bad he escaped before you deal the final hit,' Ruto shouted. Zelda soaked up the adulation but didn't show it.

'I know right? That guy was such a coward. Always has been.'

'You mean you've met before?'

Zelda sighed. 'Yes, we've met. Only once though.'

'Did you beat him up then?'

'How do you think he got that scar?'

Ruto just stared. 'Wow.'

Zelda smiled. Even if she was scared to death at the time, it still sounded pretty cool.

'Right. Well now what are you going to do?' she asked.

'I have to go to the Water Temple. There's something I have to take care of there. However, if a human were to try to get in, they'd need an item first. The Iron Boots. They're located at the Ice Cavern behind Zora's Domain.'

If she was telling the truth, Link would be heading there next.

'Okay, Ruto. Thanks, but this is where we go seperate ways. Goodbye, but only for now.'

'Okay. Goodbye Sheik. Thanks for everything!'

And just like that, they walked off, Zelda to Zora's Domain, Ruto to the Water Temple. Now all she had to do was get to the Ice Cavern and teach Link the Serenade of Water. Hopefully it wouldn't take that long to get there.

XxX

After two hours of Octorok-slaying, shivering, baffling and annoying running to Zora's Domain, Zelda finally made it to the exit. She sighed and put the dagger back into the holster. Surely it wasn't this long and frustrating to get from one point to another. She ran past the frozen King Zora to Zora's Fountain.

It was a lot colder here than any other area. In fact, it was so cold there were little icebergs floating on the water, all leading up to a small cavern. Zelda guessed that the cavern was her next destination.

Easily, she hopped onto the first iceberg. It tipped slightly under her weight, and she had to throw out her arms for balance. Once she stopped falling, she quickly travelled to the centre of the small island to steady its equilibrium. After she felt it safe, she ran to the edge of the iceberg and hopped to the next one. After she staedied herself on that one, she continued. This only took a minute as she got to the cavern with ease. As she entered the cold hit her like a tsunami. And she thought the fountain was cold?

Suddenly, a scratching sound sounded abover her head. She looked up, only to see an ice stalactite trembling violently before falling. It was very sharp. One hit with that thing could render her out of action for a few weeks. She only dodged at the last second, and the stalactice shattered onto the ground only inches from her ankle. The sound started again, and another two stalactites fell. She dodged them with ease as well, now that she was aware of their presence. There was also something encased in the red ice that held King Zora captive, but she ignored it. After all, there was nothing she could do about it right now.

She entered the next room. It was big, with lots of enemies inside. There were three ice statue enemies, with a Blade Trap circling them slowly. Thinking the enemies to be of no harm, she decided to go in and kill the statues, dodging the Blade Trap as she went. As she went in she fired a needle at the statue. The projectile bounced off the monster harmlessly, but still captured its attention.

It turned to her and sent out a wave of icy breath. Zelda dismissed it as a harmless attack, and just let it hit her. However, when it actually did hit her, a wave of pain coursed through her body. She tried to move, but it felt like all of her nerves were frozen stiff. After frantically trying to get out of the way of the monster's breath, she 'thawed' and jumped backwards. Right into the Blade Trap's path.

She screamed and clutched at her legs where she had been stung. Looking down, there were small cuts in her trouser legs, blood dripping from each. They stung like crazy, and she yelled out again and fell to the ground. She fumbled in her bag for a red potion and downed it in one gulp. Instantly, the cuts started to crust over. In a few seconds, they became mere scabs. This place was a lot tougher than she had expected.

Preferring not to fight, she ran around the outside wall of the room to get to the next area.

XxX

After two more hours, she got to the final room of the small dungeon. The walls were a beautiful crystal colour and lots of little ice crystal dotted the room, giving it an elegant look. She heard movement behind her, and hid behind one of the crystals near the door. After five minutes, Link entered. He had changed back into his green tunic, she noticed.

Suddenly, a White Wolfos appeared, howling. Zelda shrank back as Link took out his sword, ready for battle. The Wolfos lunged first, sharps claws poised for Link's chest. Link quickly shielded the attack like it was nothing and sliced the monster. His attack hit, and the monster jumped back. It was a riveting battle. In fact, one could say it mirrored the battle between herself and Drazzil. Whenever, Link attacked, the monster did next. The only difference was that Link pummeling the monster to death.

After only five minutes, the monster howled and burst into flames. Link shoved the sword back into the sheath. He walked up to the treasure chest and took out the Iron Boots, holding them over his head in a sign of triumph. Zelda decided to take that moment to walk out from her hiding place.

'We meet again, Link...

'If you came here to meet the Zoras, you wasted your time... This is all there is... With one exception, the Zoras are now sealed under this thick ice sheet...

'I managed to rescue the water princess from under the ice, but... she left to head for the Water Temple... This ice is created by an evil curse...

'The monster in the Water Temple is the source of the curse. Unless you shut off the source, this ice will never melt... If you have courage enough to confront the danger and save the Zoras, I will teach you the melody that leads to the temple.

'Time passes, people move... Like a river's flow, it never ends... A childish mind will turn to noble ambition... Young love will become deep affection... The clear water's surface reflects growth... Now listen to the Serenade of Water to reflect upon yourself...'

She brought out her harp, easily playing the Serenade of Water. As was the case with their meetings, Link brought out his Ocarina and played along. The room became shrouded in blue, and it stayed until he finished. Zelda put away her harp.

'Link... I'll see you again...'

He went towards her, but she thre down a Deku Nut, blinding Link temporarily. When his eyesight cleared, Sheik was gone. He shrugged it off, and exited the room. Zelda dropped down from her small hiding place, and the 'dragging into unconsciousness' feeling began to tug at her. She sighed and dropped to the ground, falling asleep in seconds.

**A/N: Any typos, really sorry. I didn't have any time to spell check it afterwards XP **


	21. Chapter 21 Shadow

**A/N: Thanks to alwaysingirl, RoseWing, midnafan123456789, Kirkysaurus and (NEW REVIEWER!) Kick-Aft for their reviews! /)^3^(\**

**Reeeeeally sorry for the MASSIVE delay. What's it been? Two months? That's not good :/ **

**Blame Nintendo and school, I guess. After all, Skyward Sword and 10 free GBA games? As well as loads of exams and mocks? Yep. It's safe to say I've been a bit distracted ^_^ But I have holidays right now so I might be able to update a bit faster. Hopefully.**

**Can we break 50? Of course! :D **

_Chapter 21 - Shadow_

Zelda awoke in the Sacred Realm once again, waterfalls flowing from the ceiling to the endless expanse. Looking up, she saw Rauru, Saria, and a huge Goron on the Fire pedestal. Obviously this was the one that Link had saved just recently.

'Welcome back, Zelda,' Rauru greeted her. She stood up, acknowledging Saria and Rauru.

'Zelda, this is the Sage of Fire, Darunia. Darunia, Zelda. Zelda, Darunia.'

'Hello, Zelda!' Darunia shouted, laughing heartily. 'Y'know, when I first thought I would be meeting the princess of Hyrule I didn't think she'd be so roughed up.' He laughed again. Confused, Zelda looked down. And groaned. The cuts from the Blade Trap were healed, but the bottom of the Sheikah suit had come off worse for it. There were three huge gashes in the fabric, and most of the bottom hem had fallen away from the rest of the now mangled article of clothing.

'Yes. I didn't think I'd run into a Blade Trap. Literally,' Zelda sighed in a deadpan tone. Darunia just laughed again.

'Well, it's still a pleasure to meet you, miss.'

'Pleasure's all mine,' Zelda smiled. She then frowned. Surely she remembered saying this to Saria as well.

'Okay, Zelda. As directed, you have saved Ruto and she is now in the Water Temple, with Link in tow. Fantastic job.

'There's something very important I must tell you, but... well, I have to tell you after I teach you the next song.'

Zelda was confused, but still took out her harp. Rauru took out his, and focused on the strings.

'This song I will now teach you, it is the embodiment of shadow. This is the Nocturne of Shadow.'

The song began to sound, an incredibly morose tone. The mystery of the notes were great, as if expecting a ghost or troubled spirit to pop out at any given moment. However, as usual the song ended on a rather happy tone, Rauru's hand flying from the harp in a small flourish.

'Now you.'

Zelda hoisted up her harp and played the exact same notes. Oddly, Zelda could have sworn it sounded more mysterious and dreamy on her own harp. She passed it off as nothing and continued playing. Like Rauru, when she finished she went out with a flourish, her hand in the air next to the harp's body.

'Excellent,' Rauru nodded. Saria cheered happily while Darunia just smiled. Zelda put her harp away.

'Now, for that important thing I need to tell you. Shortly after you entered the Ice Cavern, Kakariko Village has been under attack.'

Zelda's long ears pricked up at the name of the village. Did he say it was... under attack?

'Some undesirables have invaded and are trying to free an evil spirit from the sealed well. I'm pretty sure they're doing this under Ganondorf's orders. If that spirit _does_ get out... there won't be much that we can do to stop it. Not only that, but it could very well destroy the village.

'The next task, therefore, is clear. You must get to the village and stop the monsters trying to awaken the spirit at any cost. If you happen to see Link along the way, teach him the Nocturne of Shadow.'

Zelda was both angry and confused. Monsters... were in Kakariko Village? Trying to awaken a dangerous spirit? What about the people there? What's happening to them? Daisy, Enyd, Dampé?

'Thank you, Rauru,' Zelda muttered with clenched fists and teeth.

'You must hurry, they are almost about to summon the spirit now!'

Zelda nodded, and lay down. As expected, the 'dragging into unconsciousness' feeling began, and Zelda closed her eyes and let it consume her.

XxX

She woke up at the entrance to Zora's River. Thanking Rauru silently for letting her bypass the entire way back, she prepared to sprint. When ready, she leapt up over the river and began sprinting in the direction of Kakariko. As she ran, she noticed the chill wasn't running through her legs as usual. Looking down, she noticed that her suit had been completely repaired where it had been destroyed by the Blade Trap. She smiled and thanked Rauru again. He really did think of everything.

As she got closer, she could smell smoke in the air. It intesified as she got ever closer to the staircase. Looking up, she saw smoke emanating from the rooftops of the village houses.

She clenched her fists even more, as if that were possible. Who did these things think they were? Burning down innocent people's houses? And what if... they had killed some people to do the task? Zelda shook her head, shaking the negative thoughts out of her mind. If the monsters did have to do just that, then she would have to hurry.

Hopefully it won't have to come to that.

**A/N: Sooooooooo sorry again, guys. I honestly have no idea what's wrong with me :P But don't worry. I should be able to begin updating somewhat regularly now that I'm on holidays.**

**So, will Zelda get to Kakariko Village in time? We'll find out soon.**


	22. Chapter 22 Demon

**A/N: Thanks to RoseWing, Kirkysaurus, Kick-Aft, alwaysingirl and (NEW REVIEWERS! FOR THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE TWO!) Fanfiction Ninja and TheoneandonlyKaorin for their reviews! Thanks to you guys we broke 50, and the 50th review goes to none other than Fanfiction Ninja! Thanks so much!**

**Yep, TheoneandonlyKaorin, you're right about that Chapter 10, on both points :P But I'm used to the difference now :)**

**Couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt when reading your review, Kirkysaurus ;_; I think I went through a bit of a block when it came to ideas and for some reason stopped altogether. Don't worry, I'm not going to give up any time soon, you can bet on that! Really sorry again.**

**Oh, and thanks for the kudos in your fic, alwaysingirl! :3**

**What's happening to Kakariko? Let's find out.**

_Chapter 22 - Demon_

The acrid stench of smoke filled Zelda's nose as she got to the bottom of the staircase. The stench would get worse every step she took up to this point, and as the smoke thickened Zelda would get more and more angry. She breathed in the smoke, causing her to react and cough violently. As she climbed up the stairs she held her breath, only breathing in small gulps of air.

When she got to the top, the first thing she saw was the guard, writhing on the floor next to the gate. He was twitching slightly, a steady stream of blood coming from a wound in his arm. He was muttering to himself, and as Zelda got closer she found he was saying a prayer to the Goddesses, to both heal himself and Kakariko.

'Hey, what happened!' Zelda shouted at the guard. The guard jumped, apparently unaware that she entered the village.

'Hngh,' he muttered, lifting himself to a sitting postion. 'Monsters... they've come to... Kakariko.'

Zelda decided she couldn't leave him there to bleed to death, however drastic the situation was. She reached into her pouch for some spare bandages and held them to the guard's arm.

'Hold out your arm,' she commanded. The guard nodded weakly and lifted his wounded arm. Slowly, like every inch further increased the pain. When he lifted it to a reasonable angle, Zelda placed the centre of the bandage on the wound, causing the guard to wince. Zelda ignored him and wrapped the bandage tight around his arm. After she had run out, she tied the loose ends together. The bandage was soaked in blood, but the flow seemed to be lessening.

The guard looked down at Zelda's handiwork, then lowered his arm. 'Tha...' was all he managed to say, before his head drooped and he fell unconscious. Zelda judged that now the blood had stopped flowing, he should be alright. Standing up, she continued through the gate.

What she saw instilled within her mixed feelings of anger and shock. Almost all of the buildings were on fire, the heat eating away at the roof's foundations, cracking and burning. People were running from buildings, congregating with relatives and friends, swatting out nonexistent fires on their sleeves. Some of these were Daisy, Enyd and the other people from the care house.

Zelda ran up, 'Hey, what's happening?' She tried to hide the anger in her voice with concern.

Daisy appeared from behind a villager. 'Oh, you're back!' she exclaimed, gripping Zelda in a death hug. Zelda sighed. Trust Daisy to be all huggy at a crisis.

She wriggled out of Daisy's grip and fell on her feet. 'What's going on?' she asked her, more concerned than angry now.

'Disgusting. These monsters came in and torched everything.'

'What did these monsters look like?'

'I don't know. Nobody saw them. But I overheard one talking. He had a sort of gravelly voice.' She adjusted her mouth to imitate the creature's speech pattern, '"If anyone gets out, kill them. We can't have any interruptions." That's what he said.'

Zelda scowled as soon as she heard the 'gravelly voice'. That spelt out Drazzil, of course. He and his cronies are trying to awaken the spirit of the well, 'under Ganondorf's orders', like Rauru said. And they were willing to kill the innocent villagers to do it!

'Where are these monsters?' she almost roared at Daisy. Daisy almost flew backwards.

'They're at the well right now. Doing something. Maybe it's a ritual.'

'Right,' Zelda growled, pushing past the crowd. The well was only a couple of minute's walk away.

'Wait, Shiek!' Daisy's voice. Zelda turned.

'Don't! They'll kill you!'

Zelda didn't budge. 'If they have just five more minutes, they'll kill everyone!'

Daisy pondered her decision. If she makes Sheik stay, the creatures will let out the spirit, and everyone will indeed be reduced to ash. On the other hand, Sheik can risk her life and still triumph, saving everyone and herself in the process. Daisy gave a defeated sigh. Stubborn as always, Sheik is.

'Okay. But be careful!'

Zelda nodded and turned again, running toward the well. The crowd gave shouts of encouragement, rallying Zelda on to victory. Daisy's voice was not heard.

Zelda ran up, anger blinding her to the smoke rising from the surrounding buildings. The first Lizalfos could be seen, about 50 metres away. Zelda roared savagely. The Lizalfos turned, only to be greeted with Zelda's foot. It fell to the ground, and Zelda wasted no time. She picked it up from the arm, and threw it back down, hard. It cried out in pain, alerting the other Lizalfoses. She quickly kicked it in the neck to shut it up. It was too late, however, and the others turned. There were now twelve, rather than the five from 7 years ago, and they all had torches and weapons in their hands. Drazzil was in front.

'Well, well. If it isn't the little savage herself. Come to stop us have you?' he sneered. The other Lizalfoses readied for battle.

'Yes, actually,' Zelda answered curtly. Drazzil's grin dipped.

'I'm sure. But you will be too late. Another five minutes and the ritual shall be complete! The mighty Ganondorf will be most pleased.' He paused. 'Of course, there is the small problem of a annoying little bug getting in my way.'

He shifted into combat mode, taking out a dagger.

'I don't care if he wants you alive. Now, this is personal!'

**A/N: Whoa. Hehe, sorry for the cliff, but it builds tension, y'know? Thanks again for all your reviews! :3**


	23. Chapter 23 Twist

**A/N: Thanks to RoseWing, Kirkysaurus and TOaOK (Kaorin) for their reviews!**

**I know it's been a month, but I've been a bit busy. School definitely puts a damper on things, right?**

**Zelda is under attack. How will she fare in the battle?**

**Read on!**

_Chapter 23 - Twist_

As soon as the word 'personal' was spat out of Drazzil's cracked lips, the nearest Lizalfos lunged. Zelda dodged thanks to her reflexes and threw it over her back. It hit the ground and the other Lizalfoses began to swarm.

Zelda threw some needles at the oncoming band. Some hit, but they didn't even flinch. They hesitated for a second, before charging once more. Zelda threw two over opposite shoulders and barged another one back through the crowd, ducking the flying daggers. At that moment, she focused on that one Lizalfos, ignoring the cries of surprise behind her. She kicked it on the hip, causing it to cry out in pain. It stood on shaky legs. From its erratic movement, Zelda knew she had got a sensitive spot. This, of course, would come in handy later.

Zelda smashed its face with her fist with lightning movement. Its voice was muffled by its own swollen lips and it started to back off. Of course, Zelda was faster and grabbed it quickly, throwing it back to its pack. The others dodged it and it fell to the ground with huge force. It landed awkwardly and didn't seem able to get back up.

Drazzil shrieked in frustration and shouted at the others to attack, which three did willingly. Zelda swept her leg along the ground, making them all trip. While the middle one was grabbed and chucked to the side, Zelda gripped the rightmost one's leg and picked him up. It was shrieking in pain as Zelda was started to bend its shin bone. Zelda did indeed have the strength to fracture it, but she decided not to be so cruel and smashed it into the one on the left, like a crude baseball bat hitting the ball too late. It screamed into a house wall, but still stayed resolute, taking out a dagger. Zelda grumbled and threw the bat down, then kicked it so hard on the jaw that it literally was lifted from the floor and landed quite a distance away from her. Safe to say, it fainted from the extreme trauma. The resolute one pounced back into the battlefield.

It was joined by two other Lizalfoses, also with their daggers out. Zelda's eyes darted to each one's faces and weapons. They seemed uneasy, now that they had been shown her true power, and their daggers twisted about in their palms. Zelda decided her best course of action was to do something she hadn't done for over seven years.

The Triforce of Wisdom was a powerful asset, one which made her a force to be reckoned with. This is not, of course, the cause of her physical prowess and fighting skills - which she had gained through her experiences - but rather a more mystical approach to fighting. She used to have someone teach her different techniques in the castle, but she hadn't used them for a long time. It was worth a shot.

She prayed to Nayru, as was the case before she used the ability, and focused all her energy into her left hand - the one with the Triforce. She could feel the power shift from her torso and head to the hand, and it felt so incredibly packed with power that the essence was beginning to leak from her hand in the form of a red glow. The Lizalfoses didn't seem to notice this change in strategy and kept their eyes on her face. In fact, they were so focused on that particular area that they didn't notice her hand swipe across their faces in one stroke before it actually happened. They screamed and fell to the floor, charred faces smoking through. They scrabbled at their faces in a desperate attempt to soothe the fire. She kicked them all in the hips once before throwing them back to Drazzil's feet. They became a bit less persistent in their wafting, and soon fell unconscious. Five down, seven to go.

They were a lot more wary after the small magic act, and were starting to back off ever so slowly.

'What are you doing?' screamed Drazzil, 'Attack! Kill her!'

Their loyalty to their leader grew once again, blocking out their thoughts of self-preservation. When it came down to it, Lizalfoses were extremely resilient and not known to back off. This explained why two more hurled themselves at Zelda.

She blazed one in the stomach with her enchanted fist and kicked the other on the hip. That one fell to the floor and the fist-stricken one quickly jumped back after the fabric of his cloak began to singe. She kicked it in the hip as well and grabbed it with the blazing hand. The elongated exposure to the magic caused it to shriek and writhe in agony. Zelda held it for a few more seconds, switching hands now and again, so each arm was rendered out of action. Pushing it away, she kicked it in the chest, which almost caved in, and it fell to the floor unconscious. The other was quickly struck across the face and it too fell unconscious.

Drazzil shouted at the other five to attack now, and they all swarmed. She jabbed two with her fists spontaneously. The fist on the left burned through the Lizalfos' cloak and hit skin, burning through the first layer easily. It screeched and waved its daggered hand around. Unfortuantely for him, the flailing dagger hit another Lizalfos to his side square on the temple. That one yelped in pain and fell to the floor, and it wasn't long before the blood loss caused it to faint. The Lizalfos hit with Zelda's right fist was thrown over to Drazzil, before getting up and leaping in again. The other two attackers both swiped at her with their daggers, and she whipped her head backwards, barely dodging the attacks since she was already so preoccupied with their counterparts. She hooked the first one's leg with her own and tripped him, then held him up in front of her. The other Lizalfos didn't react quick enough and stabbed the 'shield'. It cried in pain and the dagger was pulled out. Zelda quickly threw the shield aside and smashed the other's face with her burning hand. It screeched and fell backwards, clawing at its face in an attempt to fan the burning skin. Zelda kicked it in the hip and it screeched again. Now unable to get up, the fire burned through its cheek and went through its head before it too fell unconscious. Obviously, not a lovely thought.

There were now only two left, apart from Drazzil, who watched from his safe distance. Zelda rather admired the self-control it took for the Lizalfoses to obey him. After all, they were all either dying or very hurt, and yet here was their leader, very much unhurt and undying, merely watching over them. The thought weighed down on them as they attacked Zelda. It never really left their mind as they both were easily toppled and brutally thrown back toward him. Their hips were slightly bruised by the kick delivered from Zelda, and they looked at each other on the ground. The one on the right shrugged - 'What are you gonna do?' - before his eyes drooped and he too succumbed to unconsciousness. The other wasn't quite done yet, but he indeed could not get up. Instead, he thought of different things, distracting him from the pain in his hip and stomach. Meanwhile, Drazzil shook his head in frustration.

'What did I do to deserve a band of such useless cretins like yourselves?' he muttered. Zelda gritted her teeth.

'Useless cretins? How dare you? If you're such a brilliant fighter why don't you face me instead of having your 'cretins' do the work?' she bellowed. His cowardice was foul, a quality which Zelda cannot bear to allow anyone to have. Imagining it, all the battles the Lizalfoses have endured over the seven years (and maybe some before), all due to the actions of the retched reptile that stood before her. She shuddered to think of the things that they had seen, the beasts they'd have fought, all to please him. And yet, after all that had happened, they were willing to die for him, this selfish, ancient, useless, despicable old lizard. He merely smiled and shrugged, causing her anger to blaze against him. Its intentisity caused her flaming hand to increase in power.

'We are not like humans,' Drazzil began, 'with your morals and high expectations of each other. Why do you fight? Why does anything fight? I personally don't _want_ to kill you. But it is simply the way of the Lizalfos.' He hesitated grimly. 'And you may talk, you humans and soldiers, for do you see your king on the front?'

Zelda growled. Not a bad word must be breathed about her father, lest the soldiers would charge one for treason. Yet here, in Kakariko, Drazzil brazenly offered his repugnant feelings to him, with his daughter as his witness.

'Do you?' Drazzil shrieked passionately. 'Do you see your queen, your dukes, your princesses out, fighting for right? No, you do not! And yet you have the utter contempt to call me out?' He threw out an arm, to the burning building beside him. 'Do you see the mighty Ganondorf out?' he breathed with malice. 'Do you see... him awakening the beast of the well himself? It's just the way.' He dropped his arm. 'It's the way life is, for all people and monsters. Would you rather fight or stay comfortable in your room? Nobody _wants_ to fight. But they feel compelled to do so, being humans. Always violent, always shouting. Never sleeping or shaking hands, always...' He scowled. 'Always killing.'

'And that will not stop here.'

There was suddenly a grand spike impaling Drazzil to the ground. Blood seeped out of the wound and caressed the ground, soaking through the soil. He cried, literally, tears falling and joining his blood.

'What... what is...? This cannot be... it...' he gasped out through bloodied lips. Zelda was too busy looking at the figure, and it to her, to notice the final blow actually be inflicted. The very much conscious Lizalfos-from-earlier's hand fell from the dagger stuck in Drazzil's withered heart, releasing all the evil locked inside. The moment of impact caused him to give his last breath, before burning and rotting away. Zelda and the figure looked back at his body.

There was nothing to be seen but a burn mark in the ground, and the unconscious Lizalfos next to it.


	24. Chapter 24 Warning

**A/N: Thanks to RoseWing for her review! I did work a couple of days on that last chapter so it should be better than the others.**

**As a side note, do you know how hard it is to type with frozen hands? Seriously! It's like -5 degrees celcius over here! :P**

**Just letting you know a bit in advance, this chapter will have a little bit of gore, in case you don't handle it all that well.**

**Who was the mysterious figure? Read on!**

_Chapter 24 - Warning _

All other thoughts in Zelda's mind paled in comparison to one in particular, one which involved the figure standing in front of her. The figure was still facing the burn mark, apparently not noticing Zelda's eyes trained on her face. They stayed, and the figure finally turned. Zelda's mind was only capable of forming a single word.

'Impa?' she breathed. The figure raised her eyebrow.

'Yes?' it replied.

Zelda couldn't bring herself to say much more. Only one word seemed to be muttered.

'Impa?'

Impa sighed. 'Yes?'

'It's really you?'

'Yes, Zelda,' Impa smiled, 'It's me.'

Zelda was overwhelmed by happiness, the weight of it sweeping her mind back to reality. Her face broke into what seemed an impossibly-sized smile.

'Impa!' she yelled, before crashing into Impa and embracing her tightly. 'Impa, Impa, Impa!'

Impa laughed playfully. Zelda kept her in a tight hug, and she buried her face into her shoulder. Impa kept laughing and ushered Zelda off her shoulder. Zelda looked into Impa's eyes with what looked like excitement. Soon, Impa's laugh died out.

'How wonderful it is... to see you again,' she whispered.

'You cannot begin to imagine...' Zelda breathed, and she nuzzled into Impa's shoulder once again. Impa reluctantly pulled her off. Now, unfortunately, was not the right time for reunion.

'Listen to me, Zelda,' she spoke with such determination that even the Cuccos in the pen stopped what they were doing. 'There are important things I have to tell you...'

'Firstly, you must go back to the village and warn the villagers to get inside. It'll be dangerous...' she looked back at the well. 'Even though I killed... what was it? Drazzil? Yes. Even though I killed him, the ritual has still gone through. I can sense it...'

She turned back to Zelda. 'The demon from the well. It's awakening. It'll be out soon.'

Zelda stared. 'We couldn't stop it?'

'No,' Impa sighed, 'When the seal began to break, I knew it was too late. Even if the ritual was interrupted afterward, there was nothing we could do.'

'What's going to happen to Kakariko?' Zelda asked, her voice frought with concern. If said demon got out, it would spell destruction and chaos. The houses would be destroyed, the villagers killed, and Ganondorf's wishes realised a step further.

'It should be alright,' Impa said. 'I will travel to the Graveyard... the far end. It has what we know as the Shadow Temple, a place where the spirits of the dead villagers live on, as Redeads.'

Zelda was shocked. Seven years living in Kakariko and she hadn't heard of this? She'd have to have words with Dampé later.

'You won't see it, but you'll know what'll happen. From the temple, I will use a form of magic to pull the beast into it. Link will arrive after - he's coming right now actually - and he will kill the demon.

'Therefore, I need you to get all the villagers safe inside. My magic will hold the beast, but it will take time. The demon might be able to cause some damage before I actually get him into the temple.

'The next thing. I'll go right now. You have to take care of the other Lizalfoses.'

'How?'

Impa's shoulders sagged, 'What's the easiest way to get rid of them? Without taking them anywhere?'

Zelda's mind clicked with realisation. 'Oh goddess, I can't.'

'You have to! We can't have them waking up and fulfilling any more of Ganondorf's orders. You'll have to do it whether you like to or not.'

Zelda frowned sadly. 'Okay...'

'Now you know, yes? What to do.'

'Yes...' Zelda said, with a sad tone.

'Okay. I suggest you deal with the Lizalfoses first. That's quicker.'

She looked around again, at the well, the Lizalfoses and the graveyard entrance.

'Sad, but what can you do?' she thought aloud. She turned back to Zelda, still reeling.

'Bye, Zelda. See you soon.'

Zelda's mind snapped back and she became disheartened. 'Already?' she gasped.

'Sorry, but yes. I can't waste time.' She began to edge toward the graveyard. 'I'll see you!'

'See you... see you!' Zelda shouted back with sadness. Her heart was still strong because she knew she would see Impa again. Where, when, she didn't know, but she had the feeling that she would.

Impa waved one last time before disappearing behind the wall, and Zelda's shoulders sagged from the weight of her new task.

One fault, or rather, trait of the monsters in Hyrule was their rather odd mechanism of burning and disappearing after they were killed. Why that happened, no-one knew (because there was nothing left to ask), but the main belief was that the goddesses were burning them to ensure they wouldn't be resurrected and commit more crimes. Zelda knew exactly what Impa had implied, but she didn't want to carry it out. She didn't know why.

_They're Lizalfoses! You have to hate them! _her mind screamed, but she still couldn't bear to actually kill them. They weren't like stalchilds, who merely attacked for nothing, but these particular ones were only following in the footsteps of their leader, Drazzil. They could have been good, if only they hadn't followed him. Now they would know the price of blind faith. What happens when you have faith in something, or someone, and they turn out to be the wrong thing to entrust your lives.

Zelda slowly unsheathed her dagger. No choice could be made. They would awaken soon, making them harder to kill so it was better to get it over and done with now they were unconscious.

She knelt by the first out of twelve. To make it quicker, she decided to focus on the main areas of life: the heart, lungs and brain.

The dagger barely pierced through the Lizalfos' tough, scaly skin. After a bit of work, it seeped through, and greeted it's heart. She meticulously worked it in further, until the soft tissue of the heart's muscle ripped and blood spat out. The Lizalfos gave a small whimper, but Zelda went in even deeper. The blood was a full-scale waterfall by now, and Zelda ripped out the dagger in one quick stroke. The waterfall surged for a second before resuming its original speed. After mere seconds, the blood only dripped, and the Lizalfos gave a silent sigh before erupting into flames and rotting away, heart and all. Eleven left.

XxX

It was hard, physically and emotionally, for Zelda to kill the last Lizalfoses. One in particular, the one who had lost faith in Drazzil, who had rebelled against his wicked authority. She made his death as quick as possible by stabbing his heart with great force. So great that the dagger broke skin (one thing in particular why the Lizalfoses were always hard to kill) and hit its heart at the same time. Once that was done, she punctured its lungs, and it burned away after no more than five seconds. Twelve misshapen corpse-shaped burn marks lay on the ground, arms spread, legs apart, hips jutting out. Zelda shook the sadness out of herself. First task complete. Move on to the next.

She made her way back to the centre of the village, where the crowd of people stayed. Daisy broke out of the crowd, arms raised.

'Sheik! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Were they very rough?' she babbled ludicrously. Zelda held up a hand.

'I'm fine. But I have an announcement.'

'Okay, then.' Daisy turned. 'Everyone! Sheik has something to say!' she yelled.

The crowd immediately hushed and focused their attention on Zelda. Zelda blushed dimly, sarcastically thanking Daisy in her head.

'Everyone! You have to get inside right now!' The crowd shivered with voice again, but Zelda quickly explained.

'Yes, I... we took care of the Lizalfoses. Don't worry about that. But the demon will still be released. We weren't quick enough.'

More voice. Shouts too, of anguish. Over the small businesses no doubt.

'What will happen? The buildings will be destroyed!'

'It'll be alright!' Zelda shouted over the commotion. 'Your houses should be alright! The demon will be held back!' The crowd silenced again.

'There's someone that will help. She'll hold the beast and drag it back into the temple. In the meantime, the only way for you all to remain safe is to stay inside your houses.'

The crowd could have been a person shrugging, for the people merely dispersed and reentered their houses. Children's eyes peeked out from behind curtains, like Keese watching from the darkness of a cave. The people were shaking with anticipation from what the demon would do.

Zelda ran back to the well. At the top of the staircase, she slowed. She just felt like it was required of her. This area right here, the graveyard of twelve innocent Lizalfoses, deserved some solemnity. She regretted it. Every wound she inflicted, all the hearts she had destroyed. She was a savage, at least in her own eyes, not accepting the excuse of compulsion as it was outweighed by the basic principle of humans. All this death, due to the beast about to erupt from the well like lava from Death Mountain.

As she stood over the well, she felt the presence of someone behind her. She was about to scold said person for straying from their house, but after a while, she could tell it was Link. Impa wasn't joking when she said Link would be there quickly.

She didn't turn. She just gazed into the well, deep deep into it, where the seal was slowly crumbling away.

_You shall all die. _

The earth began to vibrate. Zelda's feet barely picked up the sensations, but they were there, in the background.

_I will kill you all._

The vibration increased in power and speed. Zelda's feet began to shake, but she kept looking down the expanse. Link was slowly walking forward, the intensity of the vibration becoming so great that he was starting to stumble. Zelda's feet were still firmly planted on the ground. She was staring into the eyes of the demon. They were soulless, evil eyes. Kill was all the demon knew to do.

_You shall all die._

A rush of air billowed from the well, and the beast burst screaming out of the well. Zelda couldn't do anything as she was gripped by invisible hands. Suddenly the magnitude of the situation beacme realised. Zelda sucked in a breath.

And screamed.


	25. Chapter 25 Breakout

**A/N: Thanks to alwaysingirl, RoseWing and Kirkysaurus for their reviews!**

**This is a little bit earlier than usual, mainly because I'm busy this Saturday. No worries, however! New chapters will be updated as normal from next Saturday.**

**I'm a bit surprised nobody spotted my BIG mistake (Daisy calling Zelda 'Zelda'), but it's fixed now! ^_^' **

**The beast has escaped from the well! What will Zelda do?**

**Read on!**

_Chapter 25 - Breakout_

Zelda's scream didn't hold for long, as the hand around her body began to tighten. She started to wheeze. She could feel her lungs beginning to collapse as her ribs were squashed together. She attempted to scream again, but empty air came out instead. The beast released her slightly, but still kept her in its grip.

_Thisss is what the Sagesss sent to stop me? _

Its voice dripped with venom, causing Zelda to flinch with each syllable. The elongated 's' sounds vibrated through Zelda's skull. She could practically hear the beast's breathing; slow, shuddery and pained.

_How disgussstingly pathetic..._

It then dragged Zelda over the houses of the villagers. It stopped over one in particular, that burned the most. The flames snarled around Zelda's legs, cracking and whipping across her ankles. She drew them back in fear.

_Look at thisss... The village isss burning. Oh so ssslowly. It won't be long before the flames reach the poor, ssscared villagersss..._

Zelda was desperately pulling at the beast's grip, trying to get some sort of weapon to escape from the beast's hand. The beast seemed to recognise her struggling, and tightened its grip even more. Zelda's lungs almost burst.

_Ssstop that..._

Zelda relaxed and stopped flailing. The beast's grip weakened again. Zelda sighed with relief. Unfortunately, the beast's grip was slackening steadily. A few more seconds and it would let go, and Zelda would be tumbling through burning, splintered wood and boiling slate.

'Oh, goddess!' she screamed, and held tightly to her captor's hand.

_I see you sssee my point..._

Zelda felt the fingers clasp her again.

_Now. What would you prefer...?_

The beast pulled her back so she was above the central square.

_Death by... fire?_

It made her face the building again. The wood splintered under the weight of the fire, and the slate roof looked almost yellow with the heat. The beast made her 'face' it again.

_Or death by... crushing? _

It squeezed her slightly, repeatedly. Each motion caused her ribcage to fall into her chest cavity. She could literally feel the points of the ribs poke at her lungs, knocking, wanting to be let in.

_What will it be, eh? _

Neither prospect looked particularly promising for her. They also wouldn't have meant a quick death.

Burning: She would have to wait for the flames to claw back her skin, agonising with each scratch. The smoke would fill her lungs. Each breath would hurt. Her lungs would fill with fluid. She would start to choke, and eventually her lungs would be unable to cope with the lack of oxygen. She would 'drown' eventually, her throat dry with the fumes.

Or crushing: If the beast wanted to make her suffer, it would likely crush her chest to the point of bursting her lungs. Eventually, that being the key word, the blood loss and lack of oxygen will cause her to die.

It didn't look good. Zelda was frantically looking around, trying to see any possibility of escaping the beast's hand. Her eyes fell on Link. He had his sword and shield out, and was eyeing Zelda woozily. He looked uncertain (probably wondering where exactly the beast was), and was in a battle stance. The beast didn't seem all that bothered by his presence. Zelda's eyes moved to his sword hand. The Triforce of Courage glowed subtly, and Link twirled the sword around every few seconds, expertly flicking his wrist each time.

A flash of realisation. If Zelda couldn't reach a weapon, why shouldn't she just make her own?

She prayed to Nayru, and felt the steady flow of power shift to her left hand. She had been weakened considerably due to the beast's slight attacks, but there was still enough energy to last her a while longer. The beast hadn't noticed the change in its captive's motive.

_I'm waiting. What will it b-_

There was an otherworldly shriek as Zelda's hand touched the beast's. Stupidly, while screaming, the beast kept its grip. Zelda had got out her hand now, and was hacking away slowly with her dagger and burning hand. After mere seconds, the beast let go, and Zelda landed on the ground perfectly. Link gasped as she fell and went over to help, but Zelda was adamant.

'Get back, Link!' she shouted, and he complied, running back to the well. She stopped and fell, the pain in her chest making it hard to breathe. The beast's 'throat' was hoarse with screams, but the fire on its hand had gone out. There was an audible 'whoosh' as it turned to its attacker.

_You are going to die RIGHT NOW!_

It charged, with Zelda still on the ground. Link stood in front of her valiantly, shield raised.

'Wait, Link! Get back!' she shouted. Her voice could barely be heard over the beast's raspy breath and movement. The outline of a burn mark edged ever closer to Link, accelerating. Link planted his feet further in the ground. All the while, Zelda was shouting for him to get back.

The mark was mere metres away. Seconds passed. Everything seemed to slow.

_No-one getsss in my way! _

Link grunted as the beast grabbed him and hurled him back down the staircase. Zelda seemed to be out of the picture as the beast went in to attack Link.

'Hide, Link! Get away!' Zelda's shouts were hoarse. It was no wonder Link couldn't hear her.

Link got back up, only to be grabbed again and threw into a house wall. Zelda tried to get up, but the effort caused her to wheeze. She had barely taken a step before she collapsed again, coughing and gasping for breath.

Link was somehow still conscious, and he had gotten up again. His feet were slow, however, and his back arched with what looked like pain and discomfort.

_Quite the persissstent one you are..._

The burn mark wrapped around Link again and threw him up into the air.

It was silent. All that was heard was the crackle of the houses and the breath of the three life-forms. Link remained at least 100 metres in the air, and was yelling. He seemed to slow, stop, then begin to fall, back into the beast's waiting hands. All the while, Zelda watched with defeated worry. Link's tunic seemed to flutter as he fell, and his sword was still in his hand. He didn't think to use it. He kept falling, flailing his arms, and stopped 5 metres from the ground.

I say stopped, but he had actually been smashed by one of the beast's hands. The impact was so hard he was thrown an extremely long distance. Eventually he came to a stop at Zelda's resting place. His chest relaxed slightly, and he sighed.

Zelda, fraught with worry, scrambled over to him, seeing if there was any life left. He was unconscious, hanging to lift by an invisible, thin thread. It didn't appear that he would wake up any time soon either. The beast shared Zelda's thoughts. Now that _he_ was out of the way...

_I will make sure you die!_

There was a rush of air. The burn mark was closing in, and Zelda's chest still throbbed. There was nothing she could do. Link was unconscious, and she couldn't move. All she could think about was the pain of the beast, its wretched voice, its shuddery breath. At least... she had gone out fighting.

The burn mark was a mere 10 metres away. Zelda closed her eyes, waiting for the final blow...

...She could have waited all her life, but the blow never came. She opened her eyes a fraction, and noticed the burn mark only 1 metre from her tired face. It was flailing around, though missing Zelda all the same. Her eyes opened fully, and glittered with amazement. The beast, meanwhile, was shrieking deafeningly, thrashing about as hard as it had the power.

_Let me... go! What'sss... what's happening?_

It was then that Zelda noticed it was being dragged slowly toward the graveyard entrance. It was still thrashing and flailing, but it couldn't quite escape from the new form of magic. The pain in Zelda's chest dimmed slightly, and she stood. The burn mark fluctuated as the beast was strangled by the magic, pulling it ever closer to the Shadow Temple.

_Nooo! Thisss isn't... oveeeerr! _

The burn mark disappeared around the corner. Zelda felt her chest with her left hand, now only warm instead of burning. Her lungs started to relax, and she breathed in heavily, thanking the goddesses for their gift of precious oxygen. Link groaned slightly in the background, and she scrambled back to him. He woke up after a few shakes, and Zelda sighed with utter relief.

'Looks like you're coming around...'

He stood, and looked with her at the burning houses. After a few seconds, she turned back to him.

'Link... A terrible thing has happened! The evil shadow spirit has been released! Impa, the leader of Kakariko Village, had sealed the evil shadow spirit in the bottom of the well... But the force of the evil spirit got so strong, the seal of the well broke, and it escaped into the world! I believe Impa has gone to the Shadow Temple to seal it again, but... she will be in danger without any help!

'Link! You must destroy the evil shadow spirit and save Impa! There is an entrance to the Shadow Temple beneath the graveyard behind this village. The only thing I can do for you is teach you the melody that will lead you to the Shadow Temple...

'This is the melody that will draw you into the infinite darkness that absorbs even time... Listen to this, the Nocturne of Shadow!'

She swept out her harp, and Link took out his Ocarina. She was surprised that she could even remember the notes of the song in light of all the recent events. The area around them turned into a slight hue of purple. The two instruments complimented each other, and both players were well endowed with the gift of rhythm. The harmony blended with the deceased Lizalfoses souls, mixing perfectly, rising up into the air. As the song finished, the souls and sounds dissipated, and the world returned to normal.

'Let me take care of the village! I'm counting on you, Link!'

Zelda threw down a Deku Nut from her pouch, then scrabbled up a building. Link shrugged casually, as was the case, and ran to the entrance of the graveyard. Zelda seemed very pleased for a second.

Until she realised that someone lived in the graveyard. The very same graveyard that the beast had been taken through, kicking and fighting. The hut and stones could have been in ruins!

Zelda gasped in reflex and jumped down from the roof. While she ran, people began to file out of their houses, congregating in the centre of the village. She entered the graveyard. Everything seemed to be normal, no crumbled headstones or ripped up flowers. The hut, most importantly, was also intact.

'Oh, thank the goddesses,' Zelda breathed to herself, before walking toward the hut. At the very least, Dampé was safe.

'Dampe!' Zelda called out to the hut. And again, 'Dampé?'

This was strange. Dampé always comes out when she calls him.

'Dampé?' Zelda inquired, entering the claustrophobic hut. It was completely empty of life.

Zelda was puzzled, but then noticed a note on the table, where Dampé would write. She picked it up, its tattered folds bending slightly under her fingers' touch. She read.

All of a sudden, everything was silent. The villagers hushed. The Guays stopped squawking. The wind stopped howling. Zelda's eyes brimmed with sadness and confusion. Tears spilled over the edges of her eyelids...

The world reanimated. Sounds were once again heard, shouts of joy from the villagers who had escaped certain death. Zelda was not joyful. She lay the paper back on the table and stood, overawed yet utterly miserable.

Even though she was in the hut, it seemed like the emptiest it had ever been for a very long time.


	26. Chapter 26 Mourning

**A/N: Thanks to RoseWing, alwaysingirl and Kirkysaurus for their reviews! Thanks for that, alwaysingirl haha :P I just noticed the mistake when I was reading through it afterward, and was kicking myself for it. Thanks for not mentioning it though! :D**

**And don't worry, Kirkysaurus, I'll explain all that in the next chapter ;) **

**Sorry this was late, guys, but my router got screwed up somehow, and I had to wait 'til Monday before my dad got a new one. Don't worry, though! As soon as it's back up and running, updates will resume as usual next week :)**

**Dampé has passed on, to Zelda's dismay. What will she do?**

**Read on!**

_Chapter 26 - Mourning _

Zelda carefully placed the note back on the table and shook with sobs. She had only been gone for what? A few weeks, perhaps? Maybe even less. How? He was so young in heart and mind. He was years away, probably, judging from how active he was. And now he's gone. What may have been her only best friend, someone who she confide in, someone who always cheered her up when she was down, was now gone forever. The thought of it made her eyes squint and more tears started to form.

Zelda shook her head, tears gently plopping onto the table. She left them there and exited the cabin. The cheers of the villagers still rang through the village, seeping in and out of her ears with cruel irony. Why were they happy, when she was not? Granted, they had been saved from the beast's inevitable rampage, and Link was now in the Shadow Temple, slaying it. She had done all she could, so why was she feeling miserable?

Zelda was outside now, and she sat uneasily on one of the seats. The kettle with which Dampé would make tea was still in position on the stove, aching to make another, but having its need unfulfilled. Zelda put it out of its misery by throwing an Ember Seed on the wood below it, and it steamed contently. She looked back at the graves. Dampé was in one of them now, as a spirit. Link had already gotten the Hookshot from him, so she knew had been gone for a while. What pained her most, however, was that her last words to him were 'Goodnight, Dampé,' meaningless words that he couldn't even hear. What was the use? She didn't even properly say goodbye to him. It didn't matter whether she said goodbye to Daisy and the others or not - they wasn't going anywhere soon. Perhaps his death was fated, waiting for the time for Zelda to leave, and then gathering his life up. Waiting for the opportune moment for her to rush away without looking back. Regret twisted her stomach, and she groaned and clutched her heart.

The kettle wolf-whistled slightly, snapping Zelda from her solemn, guilty thoughts. She picked it up with shaking hands, and positioned the cup underneath it. Putting in a few tea leaves, she poured in the boiling liquid, which violently belched steam as the cups frozen surface touched it. The water stained dark brown as it touched the leaves, and the steam was still gasping out. Zelda carefully put the kettle back on the stove and took a spoon from the cup on the side of it. She stirred the leaves slowly, like every movement hurt, and the tea became more opaque. She left it to simmer, as both she and Dampé always did. A small crunch sounded from the entrance to the graveyard, but Zelda didn't react. Daisy thundered through the path with great steps, stretching her arms slightly as she moved over to Zelda's side. She seemed to understand what Zelda was thinking.

'It'll be alright,' she said with care, placing an arm around Zelda's shoulder. Zelda winced at the touch, but still said nothing.

'Everyone's okay. Nobody's hurt. It looks like the houses are all okay too,' Daisy rambled. She danced around the touchy subject as much as possible, mentioning all the good things that had happened. Zelda could tell that Daisy wanted to talk to her about it, but she just felt it wasn't time yet. She shut her eyes slightly as Daisy's arm left her shoulder.

'Well, I'll go and check on them,' Daisy announced, turning to leave, 'I think there will be a celebration, too.'

She said this with a little more enthusiasm, hope in her eyes as to what Zelda was going to say.

'With meat,' Daisy went on. 'And music and dancing.'

It did sound appealing. Zelda recalled all the past celebrations Kakariko Village threw, and she enjoyed each and every one of them. She looked up slowly, and Daisy's eyes sparked.

'I can't...' Zelda whispered.

'What?'

'I can't,' she said a little louder.

'Of course you can,' Daisy spoke without thinking. 'Surely your little journey can wait at least a few hours.'

'No, Daisy,' Zelda said firmly. 'The journey can't wait.'

'Surely! There must be someth-'

'I can't, Daisy!' Zelda shouted, snapping her head upright all the way. Daisy's mouth shut and she twiddled nervously with her fingernails.

Zelda breathed out slowly, and looked at Daisy's eyes. They wouldn't meet. It took a while but she also noticed that her fists were clenched.

_Why? What's wrong with me?_

She unclenched her fists and let out a deep sigh.

'Sorry Daisy, but I can't. It's not going to wait,' Zelda spoke with finality. Daisy nodded, still looking at her fingernails.

'I understand. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, right?' As she spoke her voice trembled slightly. Zelda wished she could just throw herself in the cup of steaming tea.

'Sorry,' she repeated, and Daisy nodded.

'It's okay,' Daisy whispered, before nodding and snapping her own head up. 'Yes. I'm not gonna stop doing what I'm doing just because you have to do something important. Take all the time you need, and set out whenever.'

She turned and waddled toward the entrance, and Zelda hit herself in the forehead repeatedly.

_What is WRONG with me?_

With the third hit, she felt the need to sleep. Someone was dragging her into unconsciousness once again. She sighed heavily and threw herself in one of Dampé's chairs. Her eyes drooped involuntarily, and after a few seconds, she was unconscious.

XxX

She awoke again in the Sacred Realm, and stood uneasily. Everyone from before was there, with someone new. Ruto stood proudly on the Water pedestal, eyeing Zelda with admiration.

'Welcome back, Zelda. It's been a while,' Rauru's regal voice cut through the silence. Zelda stopped looking Ruto and faced him, acknowledging Saria and Darunia's presence.

'Firstly, I would like to say, my deepest condolences, Zelda,' Rauru said sympathetically. Zelda nodded. For some reason, when Rauru said that, she felt a lot better. Maybe it was his voice, or the setting they were in. Or maybe, just maybe, he cared for her emotions.

'I know it must be hard to lose such a dear friend, but, as much as it pains me to say it, we must press on. There is no time to waste,' Rauru said with a frown. Zelda nodded with understanding.

'Now Link is in the Shadow Temple, my new task for you is to teach him one last song. All the sages, except for one, have now been awakened or are going to be soon. The last sage is located in the sandy desert of the Gerudo tribe. The journey will be arduous, however. If the guards catch you, you may be put in their prison, meaning more time will be wasted. I suggest a measure of stealth when inside the guard's area.

'After you have passed the area of the guards, there will be a desert. It will be hard to see. Only one path leads out of the desert, and many have been lost in it, trying to find the way.'

He paused, and held up his hands. A blue light shone on him, and a small jewel began to float down. When he caught it, he held it out to Zelda, who took it graciously.

'This jewel is very important. Using it, I and the other Sages can communicate with you. This will be important as I will personally lead you through the desert unharmed. You must pay your fullest attention, as your life is at stake.'

Zelda grinned broadly. Rauru really did think of everything.

'Now, all there is left to teach you is the song that leads to the Spirit Temple. This song is embodiment of spirit, the notes of which can calm demons and soothe mourners.'

He swept out his harp, and Zelda swept out hers.

'This is the Requiem of Spirit!' Rauru announced loudly. Zelda got ready to play.

He swept his fingers across the strings, the six notes clearly echoing from the sides. Zelda played as soon he finished the notes, with perfect rhythm and precision. As they played, the walls shone with a dark orange, and the other Sages swayed slightly from the rhythm. The song finished, and the walls assumed their original colour of black once more.

'Hurry, Zelda,' Rauru said, putting his harp away. 'You know what to do.'

Zelda nodded and lay down. The feeling came back again, and her eyes drooped again. Very soon, she was asleep.

XxX

Zelda awoke, still in the rickety chair. She was smiling a bit, but then remembered the sadness of the occasion. She stood, and looked down at the teacup. There was no more steam, and as she touched the sides she found it was just the right temperature to drink.

As a final goodbye to Dampé, she raised the cup to the sky, and then downed the tea in one gulp. After finishing, her face wrenched with disgust. She set the cup back down on the table breathed heavily, the cool air cleansing her taste-buds.

Looks like he was the only one who could pull this off after all.


	27. Chapter 27 Desert

**A/N: Thanks to alwaysingirl and (NEW REVIEWER!) ZeldaRubix for their reviews! **

**Holy... God I just left for a week and I suddenly find I have 86 reviews? Thanks to ZeldaRubix we totally destroyed the 75 review mark, so next is the big 100!**

**Thanks for the encouraging review alwaysingirl! Your reviews always put me in a good mood, so you can be sure I'll keep writing as much as possible. **

**Zelda's new task awaits her. What will she do?**

**Read on!**

_Chapter 27 - Desert_

Zelda was still standing long after she had the cup back on the table. Of course, she hadn't had much time to mourn the loss of Dampé, and with her new task entrusted to her, she couldn't waste any more time. She was now tasked with something rather daunting. That is, entering the Gerudo Valley, a place famed for its brutal tribe of women and thieves. She had never visited there herself, but she had heard many rumours: Some say they robbed and beat anyone fool enough to enter their territory. Some merchants were apparently so badly beaten they had gotten amnesia. Nobody ever went to Gerudo Valley, unless they were on really important business. Zelda wondered why then, exactly, the carpenters of Kakariko had to go there.

All Zelda's thoughts now centred on her new task, planning what she would do, how she would get there, and, if necessary, how to escape a dire situation. All thoughts about Dampé, Daisy and the villagers left, and she focused solely on what she was to do. With newfound determination, she exited the graveyard.

The villagers were nowhere to be seen. Zelda assumed they were still congregated in the centre of the village, celebrating in their odd ways. Zelda smiled. Everyone was safe. She didn't have time for any petty gatherings or celebrations. What she had to do now was beyond importance. It called an end to her quest to assist Link in defeating Ganondorf and to unlock his true power. The defeat of Ganondorf - it was so close, so tantalisingly close - loomed in the distance of time. It was only a matter of time before his vile rule would end and Zelda could finally go back to the castle. And most importantly, see her family. The thought of it, meeting her father and mother after all those years. It brought her more hope, courage and determination than praying to the Three Goddesses ever could.

Zelda walked down the staircase near the well, and saw the first groups of people, who were singing triumphantly ad raising their hands to the sky. Even the guard, whom Zelda had helped, was standing small in the centre of a group and lifting his wounded arms in happiness. Zelda smiled. Best to let them get on with it.

She was about to push through the crowd, when one called out, 'It's Sheik!' and the rest of the people turned as one to face their saviour.

'Sheik!' they shouted simultaneously, and started to run toward her. Zelda held up her hands in modesty.

'Hey now. It wasn't all me...' she began. She was interrupted by a shout.

'Praise our saviour, Sheik!' the villager shouted above the din.

Zelda blushed mildly and began to creep further toward the entrance of Kakariko. No time could be wasted...

'Really sorry, guys, but I have to go,' she muttered awkwardly. The crowd gave a somewhat audible sigh of disappointment.

'But we have a celebration planned!' one of the villagers shouted.

'I know. I heard. It's just... I have to be somewhere really important soon.' Zelda said.

'More important than staying with us?' someone else shouted.

Zelda almost said yes, but she just stopped herself. In Kakariko, family and friends were very important.

'It's just important,' Zelda stated with finality.

The crowd kept protesting loudly, until a clear booming voice rang up from behind them. They parted and revealed the shouter. It was Daisy.

'Let her go. If she has something important to do, then let her,' she said, walking up to Zelda. Zelda's face fell at the sight of Daisy, remembering how rude she was.

'Daisy, I...'

'No, Zelda. You already said it yourself,' Daisy spoke proudly. It was clear that she didn't care about how Zelda reacted. All she cared about was making Zelda happy, going along with her important wishes.

'You have to go. You can't waste any time here.'

She grinned widely, surprising Zelda. How she could smile like that when Zelda was leaving _again_?

'Besides, we'll be just fine here, as you can plainly see. You should get going. Get on with the quest!'

The last phrase was accompanied by a cheer from the crowd, a clear signal that they had accepted her absence. Zelda grinned and wordlessly thanked Daisy, who nodded happily.

'Go on,' Daisy mouthed, and Zelda complied, waving at the crowd and running through the gate. As she ran further from the village, the cheering rose, and rang in her ears. One villager's voice was heard clearly above the rest. One female voice, booming and distant. It was the one Zelda remembered the most, out of all the others.

XxX

It was nightfall by the time Zelda reached the entrance to Gerudo Valley, but thankfully she had got there before any stalchilds had come to ruin her day. With a sigh and an expert flick, she twirled the dagger in her hand and shoved it back in her holster. This was it. The famed Gerudo Valley, where the merchants had been captured and beaten, the source of their ridiculous yet widely believed stories. Zelda readied her needles, just in case they turned out to be true.

As she entered she saw a small body of water, with a large plank of wood gently teetering across the gap. Thankfully she was light the plank barely even vibrated as she traversed it, though she was still cautious.

After that was cleared, a bridge came into view. Although, it probably shouldn't have been called a bridge, as it was snapped quite cleanly in half. All that remained was some planks of wood, some on one side and some on the other, uselessly hanging on the edge. For a second, Zelda wondered what she had to do, but she quickly recalled her leap over the lava at Death Mountain's broken bridge. This one was probably only a couple of metres longer, and there was the other side of the bridge which could act as a ladder if she fell slightly short. She could definitely do this.

Zelda took several deep breaths and walked back over the stairs that led to the bridge. The sound of the rushing water from below calmed her immensely, even though it was the main danger in this situation. It was like an oxymoron.

When she felt she was a sufficient distance from the edge, she turned. After praying to Farore for some much-need courage and taking a few deep breaths, she began to sprint. It seemed like forever, but the edge of the stairs was getting ever closer, and Zelda was running like crazy. When she came to the edge, she leapt.

It was so graceful. Her body was as straight as an arrow let fly from the bow of an expert archer. It was perfectly judged as she was at her peak at roughly the middle of the gap, perhaps even more. As she came to the other side, she began to descend, leaning her body downward. It was so well timed that her path was a perfectly equal parabola on both sides. As she was about to land on the other side, she held her hands out to cushion the blow. As her hands met the ground, she flipped her legs over, and somersaulted over the staircase, landing on her feet effortlessly.

The princess of Hyrule stood in Gerudo Valley now, a lone figure in the rocky cliffs. There was a tent to her left, but as she looked in she found it was empty. Perhaps this was where the carpenters were staying, although she still couldn't guess why exactly they were there. She continued on through the entrance and eventually came to the Gerudo Fortress.

It was exactly as she expected: swarming with guards. What she didn't know, and what nobody had told her, was that they were all female. All held spears in their right hands, and wore the same clothing - a purple top which exposed their well-toned midriffs and trousers which seemed to puff out at the knees. They also all had red hair, and wore scarves which covered the bottom half of their faces, giving them a sense of mystery. They did indeed look intimidating, so much so that Zelda shrank back as soon as she saw one. That spear could very easily run through at least three people at once.

But then she felt encouraged, a sense of adventure and silence overcoming her. She felt invigorated at the new prospect - stealth. Something which all Sheikahs were adept in.

She readied her needles again, and crept along the ledge underneath one of the guard's vision. In the distance, she could see a large gate, which presumably led to the desert. And it was only a couple hundred metres away!

Zelda quickly crawled along the ledge, still avoiding detection. It was easily accomplished, as the ledge was quite tall and Zelda could easily crouch underneath it. It was what she saw next through the slightly sandy air that frustrated her. There was a guard positioned at the gate. She growled quietly in anger, but then realised how stupid she was to overlook such a little thing. _Of course _they were going to guard the gate! Why did she think they wouldn't?

She decided to chance it. There was no way the guard would fall for the 'rock routine' like the guards from Kakariko. She looked a lot more vigilant.

Zelda put her needles away. She didn't want to kill her, of course. Rather, she felt she should stun her instead. At least then she'll be able to get past and into the desert.

She didn't count on what would happen, however.

As soon as Zelda ran up to the guard and the guard caught sight of her, the guard screamed out, alerting the other Gerudos to her presence. Zelda paused waveringly, but resumed running. If she could only get this one she was in the clear...

The guard shrieked as Zelda chopped her in the neck with a hand, and she fell to the ground. The other Gerudos were running now. They had seen her, and were quickly coming to do goddesses-know-what. Zelda was desperately trying to traverse the ladder, but she had sweaty hands. They just kept slipping on the rungs.

'Come on!' Zelda shouted to herself. She had managed to get a grip on the first rung, and soon moved onto the second.

_Yes! I'm going to make it! _

Suddenly, an immense pain filled her left side, and she screamed loudly, falling at the feet of the women with a sickeningly loud thump. She desperately tried to escape, but she couldn't move. The pain in her abdomen was much too intense. She yelled again in anger, at herself and the guards. She looked at the nearest one, particularly at her spear. It dripped with blood down to the hilt, and the blood met the ground with an awful 'plop'. Zelda's eyes widened and she looked down at her abdomen. She wasn't quick enough, as one of the guards smashed her head with the butt end of a spear. Zelda's vision started to flash, darkening slightly.

There was only enough sight left to see a small hole in her skin. Finally, her eyes closed, and hands clasped around her body, picking her up and leading her into the unknown.


	28. Chapter 28 Weapons

**A/N: Thanks to ZeldaRubix, alwaysingirl and (NEW REVIEWER!) Ananymous Reviewer for their reviews!**

**Thanks for the reviews Ananymous Reviewer! Oh, and to answer your question, you don't have to meet Dampé when he's alive, but you can get a Piece of Heart out of doing so. So I recommend it.**

**Poetry, alwaysingirl? Haha, wow. Never did like poetry in school, but wow. Thanks!**

**So, Zelda is in the hands of the Gerudo. What will she do?**

**Read on!**

_Chapter 28 - Weapons_

Zelda awoke as she was unceremoniously dumped in a room. It was almost pitch-black, apart from a soft light filtering from a gap in the wall which was perpendicular to the ceiling. Due to this light, Zelda could see the room dimly, if she really strained her eyes. There were chains along the walls, and hanging from the ceiling. Zelda could have sworn she could also see some human skulls. They lay in a pile haphazardly, as if they had just been thrown there. The Gerudo obviously showed no sympathy for their victims.

The door behind Zelda slammed shut loudly, bringing her back to reality. Her side stung with pain as she propped herself up on her elbows. She looked down, and could see an outline of an ichor puddle next to a wound in her skin. There was a bandage over it, which helped stem some of the flow, but being thrown on the ground caused the bandage to drift off, letting the wound go and resting lazily on the ground. The wound had opened again, but the flow of the blood wasn't as bad as when she had been sliced by the spear. Maybe. The details were hazy.

Zelda stood up. From everything that had occurred, she inferred she was in the Gerudo prison. No mention had come as to what they were going to do to her, and she didn't want to imagine. But from the look of the pile of skulls, they didn't seem to be a very negotiable people. She walked over to the wall, holding her hands out for makeshift eyes. When they hit the wall, she stopped. All she had to do was escape, and the wall looked quite rough. Some bricks illuminated by the light appeared to jut out ever so slightly ahead of the rest. Perhaps if she were to get a good hold of them...

She felt around the wall in front of her, at shoulder level. Most of the wall felt smooth. Nothing out of the ordinary yet... Ah! There! Her fingers clasped around one of the bricks, and she pulled. It didn't move at all. Good. Her other hand now felt above her head for another abnormality. It wasn't long before she found another disobedient brick and grabbed it. Now, using her great strength, she hoisted her leg onto the first abnormality, and rested her left hand on the second for support. Her left hand slithered up the wall again, and quickly found another brick. So far, so good.

She had gotten about two metres up the wall in five minutes, a rather impressive feat for anyone, let alone a princess. On occasion, her hands had slipped from the bricks, and she scrabbled back onto the wall in fear of falling and injuring herself. This served to sting her side with pain again, but she kept on the wall, waiting for the pain to subside before she continued.

She was doing well, climbing another metre within two minutes. If she kept at the same pace, she would reach the opening in about 20 minutes. With this hope, she searched more frantically. The quicker she got out the quicker she could get on with her side of the quest.

Suddenly, one of the bricks on which Zelda's feet was resting crumbled. A cool wave of goose bumps rushed through her body as her fingers clasped desperately for the other handholds, but her fingers were slippery. They betrayed her and fell from the bricks, sending her plunging toward the floor. She landed on the ground with a sickening thump and her wound splurged with red fluid.

'Goddess!' she hissed, clutching her side. When she removed her hand and looked at it, it was drenched with blood. She wiped it meticulously on her leg until it was gone, and looked back at the wall. The brick that crumbled lay on the floor, and Zelda looked at it accusingly. But then she realised her own folly. What an idiot! You can't just go into a fortress, all needles blazing without getting taken down and chucked into their jail! If she had given this at least the slightest bit of thought she would have got into the desert without much trouble. She could have used her needles, or snuck up to the guard instead of just running straight up to her and alerting the others to her presence. That way she could have been halfway across the desert by now.

Zelda heard a clank, and quickly scrabbled to a corner of the room. The door opened and a Gerudo woman holding a tray stepped into the room. A small rectangle of light appeared, obscured by the woman's lithe figure, but the corner that Zelda was in stayed shrouded in near darkness. The guard gave the room a once over before taking another step.

'Hey,' her voice cut the darkness. 'Dinner.' She laid the tray on the floor.

The solitary word echoed in the room. Zelda made a split-second decision. It was risky, but what other chance did she have? She reached for her dagger. What she hadn't counted on was that they had stripped her of her weapons. The only weapons available to her were her hands. And they had already betrayed her before.

'Goddammit,' she whispered lightly. The guard turned to leave, and Zelda's mind clicked. She remembered a skill that Impa had taught her, something only the Sheikahs knew. Zelda was always fascinated by it, how it worked. Impa never let that on, but she still Zelda in on where on the body to do it and what pressure to apply. One of the guard's areas was exposed, as unlike the other guards she didn't wear a scarf that covered her mouth. Zelda contemplated, but then it was probably her only choice. This was the perfect opportunity as well.

She stood slowly, quietly. The guard still hadn't been alerted to her intentions, so she still attempted to leave. Zelda chose the moment to strike. Wait for it... wait for it... Now!

She grabbed the guard by the neck and pulled her back into the darkness. The guard yelped quietly but was quickly silenced by Zelda's hand as it clasped her mouth.

'Shut it,' she hissed threateningly. The guard struggled against her and screeched into her hand. Zelda's other hand clasped around her nose.

'Shut it or I'll break your nose,' Zelda hissed again, and the guard instantly went limp.

'That's good,' Zelda breathed. She removed her hand from the guard's mouth and the guard breathed out heavily.

'Now, where are my weapons?'

The guard remained silent. Zelda shook her nose and she yelled in pain and discomfort.

'Where are they?' she whispered a bit more strongly.

The guard's soft voice stopped whimpering and she reached for a dagger. Zelda didn't notice.

'I...' the guard stuttered. 'I'm not sure.'

Her hand closed around the dagger.

'But maybe if you...'

She cut her speech short and swiped at Zelda's face. Zelda saw the hand come up out of the corner of her eye and snapped her head backward. It missed her face by centimetres. The hand came back quickly but wasn't quick enough. Zelda grabbed the dagger, wrenched it from the guard's hand and held it to her throat.

'Okay, screw breaking your nose,' she breathed ostentatiously. The guard looked up, at Zelda's red eyes. They sparked with an anger not seen in the stupid ninja they had stabbed and thrown in the cell earlier.

'Next it's just death.'

Zelda jabbed the dagger at the guard's neck quickly. She snapped it back before it could do any real damage, but had at least shown that she meant business.

The guard looked up at her fearfully, but then surrendered, nodding.

'Down the hallway. First room on the right.'

Zelda opened her eyes in surprise at the guard's speed to save her own life at the risk of the other's safety. She shook her head.

'How courteous of you,' she whispered. 'Now if you don't mind...'

She pressed a finger on the guard's bare neck, and the guard looked up.

'What are you doing?' she asked, her voice panicky.

'Shh, sh sh sh...' Zelda hushed the guard and pressed her neck harder. The guard's eyes rolled back so that only the whites of them could be seen.

'Sh sh sh sh...' The guard fell asleep, laying her head contentedly on Zelda's arm.

'That's it,' Zelda whispered, laying the guard's head down. 'Just stay there.'

She stood up and spun the dagger around before putting it her holster. It had a nice feel about it; about the right weight and a very sharp edge. Zelda could definitely use it in her later fights.

She ran into the hallway, which was unguarded, and entered the room that supposedly contained her weapons. It was also unguarded, which confused Zelda, but she left no time to ponder over it. She searched through the bags on the table and easily found her weapons, her dagger distinctly different from the Gerudo's and very noticeable. She smiled and took them out, putting them in their respective holders.

Shouts came from outside. Zelda looked over at the wall, which let the sound in without much trouble. The guards. Someone else had appeared that wasn't one of them. Zelda took that to be Link and hurried out of the room. No time could be wasted. Whatever was to happen, she had to get to the temple before Link did.

So begins her escape from the Gerudo Fortress.


	29. Chapter 29 Escape

**A/N: Thanks to ZeldaRubix, James Birdsong, RoseWing and (NEW REVIEWER!) pikachucat for their reviews!**

**Thanks for the review ZeldaRubix. Ostentatiously is an awesome word but I think I used it in the wrong context DX So think of Zelda as saying that particular phrase bluntly, or crassly. I'm just an idiot who needs to look at a freakin' dictionary more often! (By the way, see if you can spot the 'The Girl with the Green Hair' reference in the chapter. It's subtle, but hey).**

**Thanks RoseWing! I wanted Zelda to come across as shying away from that, uh... 'regality' (is that even a word? haha) she used to have, and to become a bit more savage. I'm glad it worked! **

**I did a bit of research on OoT3D, and I just discovered that the 'prison' doesn't even have a door! X) So, uh... yeah. Just imagine it does and Zelda's in the Thieves' Hideout right now. **

**A side note: If you didn't have an account and wanted to review but weren't allowed, it's because I had anonymous reviewing turned off. However, I just turned it back on, so I encourage anyone who couldn't before to review. We're almost at the big 100! Let's see if we can get there this chapter, shall we?**

**So, Zelda is going to try to escape the Gerudo Fortress. Will she be successful?**

**Read on!**

_Chapter 29 - Escape_

Zelda crouched low and slithered through the hallway. Like a Rope, a monster she had never seen but had learned about back in the castle. The hallway was slightly slanted, so it was quite easy to traverse. As she came to the middle there was a small barricade made of wood with large gaps in between. Zelda could quite easily have squeezed through the gaps, but she instead jumped over, and her feet thudded softly on the ground on the other side. Her side protested quietly before settling down again, grumbling, and letting her continue.

She squatted slightly and cocked her ears toward the entrance to the next room. Faint voices sputtered out of the room. Distinct, they were, women's of course. Zelda guessed thanks to her fantastic hearing that there were two guards in there. She readied her needles and surreptitiously slid along the wall leading to the room. She snuck a glance in, and found two guards in around the same area, chatting casually as their spears swayed on their backs. Poised like a guard dog, looking behind their back to see what there is to protect the owner from.

Zelda shook the needles out of her sleeve and aimed. The guards stayed unaware to her presence, casually strolling slowly past each other and occasionally whispering. Zelda aimed again, looking to catch that bulge, that nerve cluster in the neck of the first guard, who had her back to her. Just one shot. Right there, easy does it...

_Now!_ Zelda shouted in her mind, and flung the needle. It zoomed, perfectly straight, past the second guard's eyes so quickly it wasn't even a blur. And the first guard's too. It missed, careening into the wall with a resonant _clink! _

Zelda cursed quietly and flung herself back behind the hidden corner of the wall. The guards looked at each other and, as if panicking, looked around the room, trying to ascertain the origin of the sound. If they didn't know any better, they could've sworn that maybe... just maybe. No, she couldn't have escaped. Could she?

They looked around again, but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary or suspicious. Shrugging slightly, they nodded to each other, silent now and marching slowly away from each other. They were so close to dropping their guard. No chance of that happening again, which was bad news for Zelda. Looks like she would have to face them head on. And quick. It looked like one was heading her way.

The guard shook wearily as she approached the doorway where Zelda was hiding. Whatever the noise was, if someone was around, they'd be right around this corner... She hoisted the spear in both hands and slowly crept to the doorway. As an extra precaution, she sliced the spear around the corner to ensure there was less time to apprehend the person. All that was heard, however, was a largely metal clank, showing that nothing or nobody was around the corner. The other guard looked back at her and smirked, as if knowingly. The guard smiled back before turning back to the doorway.

Just in case, she crept up to the doorway, spear still firmly gripped in both hands, ready for anything that would be behind this corner. Ready to charge, the guard slowly shuffled next to the wall. Slowly now... No alerting the intruder.

The guard jumped into the doorway and thrust her spear about wildly for a second, before realising there was nothing to stab. She breathed a slight sigh of relief in knowing that the prisoner hadn't escaped. Nabooru didn't take kindly to letting the prisoners leave, especially prisoners that were most likely out to obtain information on the Gerudo's outings and thieveries.

The guard's shoulders sagged as if a weight had literally been lifted off her bare shoulders. She was about to leave the doorway when a figure leapt from the ceiling in front of her, slapped the spear out of her hand and stuck its fist into her neck. She gasped as she felt the wind leave her lungs and her vision started to blur. Her head spun and her eyes flitting around and rolled upward, before eventually they rolled back into her head and she dropped to the ground. And throughout all this, not a word, whimper or squeak was uttered. The other guard remained completely unaware as to the actions of her companion.

Zelda dragged the limp body back and propped it against the small wooden barricade. The guard stayed unconscious, but Zelda could feel a weak pulse, meaning she was alive. Good. Zelda couldn't live with letting innocents die. It was a trait of the quality of cowardice that she despised in people so much. Now all that remained was the other guard.

The other guard was still patrolling the area where she and the guard first were. Her back was still turned to the doorway so she had no idea what had happened to her companion. As she turned and saw her partner was gone, she assumed she had gone down the same doorway to check behind the crude barricade they had set up. Chuckling lightly, she moved to where her friend was standing only moments ago.

'No need to check behind the barricade, Mar,' she called out as she approached the doorway. 'If they want to get through there they have to get through us.'

She got to it and looked in. Mar wasn't there. Confused now, she started walking toward the barricade. Meanwhile, from the ceiling, Zelda watched her movements. She seemed somewhat relaxed although judging from her neck she was beginning to tense with feverish anticipation.

'Mar?' the guard called softly. Nothing answered. Zelda dropped from the ceiling so quietly that the guard continued moving toward the barricade. She followed the guard, keeping a wary eye on that spear.

'Mar?' the guard called again, louder. Zelda could have sworn she heard a hint of panic in her voice. That panic escalated her movement speed toward the barricade. Zelda merely picked up her foot speed as well, but remained absolutely silent all the same.

Eventually the guard found her friend's trouser leg, characteristically puffed out at the knee. It was on the floor, oddly, and was stretched out as if Mar was sitting with her legs straight. As the guard got closer, she could see, finally, her friend's face. The neck which held it up weakly had a huge lump and was darker in that area. Naturally, the guard almost dropped her spear, but she still kept a hold of it just in case the attacker was near. And how right she was. Zelda was now mere inches from the guard's neck, and in the perfect place to strike and render her unconscious. In an unrequited attempt at humour, Zelda put her lips an inch from the guard's ear and readied her hand at her neck.

'Boo.'

Before the guard had any time to react, Zelda jabbed her neck, and her vision started to fade just like Mar's. She was panicking. A major surge of thoughts plagued her last conscious moments._ Is Mar alright? Where's my spear? What will Nabooru do? _They were all useless thoughts, of course, that she could do nothing about, but she still held on to them as if they were the last things she would ever think.

It was only a few seconds before she too fell unconscious and dropped to the ground. Zelda smiled as she looked at the easily dispatched obstacles.

'Not bad for a princess, huh?' she asked herself rhetorically. She picked up the second guard easily and propped her up next to Mar. She hesitated as she rose again; hand on chin, pondering on mischievous thoughts. After a second, she grinned widely and draped Mar's arms across her friend's chest and spread her legs out over her friend's. She then dipped the other guard's chin so that it was level with her friend's forehead and tipped Mar's head up to meet it. After a few more seconds rearranging them as she saw fit, Zelda stood up to look upon her new work of art. The two guards would sure be in for a big shock when they woke up.

Zelda laughed, a little surprised at the potential she held for mischief, then headed out the door. Smiling at the memory of it, she stopped as she caught a glimpse of the guard she was about to attack before she was so rudely apprehended. She readied a needle and got out her secret weapon. She was genuinely surprised she hadn't thought of this before. One thing's for sure: it would have saved a helluva lot of time.

A bottle of purple chu jelly. She carefully daubed it along the needles in her hand. It was a somewhat potent poison, but not enough to kill, thankfully. She aimed it at the guard. It didn't really matter where the needle hit, as long as it sunk quite deep into the skin to let the venom circulate. She readied herself and flung three needles in one quick movement. Two smacked the wall behind the guard, but one stayed true to its path and hit the guard's stomach. Luckily, that was one of the more effective areas to hit.

The guard hissed in pain, probably due to the initial sting of the impact, but then her arms began to move erratically (another side effect of the venom). This was a good sign; usually with purple chu jelly poisoning, this symptom would occur a few minutes in. Maybe it was a lucky shot, but still.

A few seconds past and the guard began to drop to her knees and clasp her hands around her neck, a sign her throat was starting to swell. Zelda took the opportunity to sprint up to her and jab her in the neck. Almost instantaneously, the guard fell unconscious.

Now, one thing you must do to prevent the venom spreading too quickly is to bleed the person and allow the venom to pass out. Of course, in order to be rid of all the other symptoms you need a blue potion, but thankfully, by using this technique, the guard should live.

Zelda stabbed the guard forcefully in the arm and purple fluid seeped out. This was also a good sign, as the venom would come out faster. Now it was even less likely that any lasting effects would happen. Zelda smiled, yanked the dagger from the guard's arm and spun it a few times before storing it in the holster.

Being a slippery assassin has its advantages, particularly the extreme flexibility one must have. Due to this trait, Zelda made short work of the huge gate guarding the desert and slipped through the gaps in the bars. A guard from atop a tower near the gate shouted in alarm that Zelda had gotten through, but Zelda, in all honesty, could not care less. It's not like they would follow her into the death trap. With this thought in mind, she took out Rauru's crystal and tapped it lightly. It glowed subtly and flickered when a voice came through.

'Zelda?' Rauru's voice shone.

'I'm through the gate, Rauru,' Zelda =grinned confidently.

'Very good, very good. You know your objective?'

'Of course, Rauru. I'll tell you when I get into it.'

'Good.'

The crystal's light turned off as if a switch had been flicked. Zelda smiled and shoved it in her pocket. Sighing heavily, she proceeded into the desert, a sense of satisfaction passing through her mind like the soft breeze on her cheek.

The opacity of the air thickened, until eventually Zelda could not be seen.

A lone figure in a gritty mist of death.


	30. Chapter 30 Journey

**A/N: Thanks to ZeldaRubix and alwaysingirl for their reviews!**

**Thanks for the review ZeldaRubix! I always wondered what the science behind that 'sleeper hold' was (after all, hearing it on The Simpsons made me want to try it). Does it really work? XD**

**I'm glad, alwaysingirl. I always like to see people kick evil's ass, especially women - as their always portrayed as feeble in various media. Maybe that's why Samus, Sheik and Midna are my all-time favourite game characters :)**

**In the vein of ZeldaRubix's 'The Girl with the Green Hair', I'm going to be telling you guys what each individual chapter is based on, or rather inspired by.**

**So here goes. This chapter is inspired by Metroid Metal's 'Super Metroid Brinstar' and 'M2Q', since, well... it's sandy! And angry, as you will soon see...**

**Okay, forget what I said last chapter; let's get 100 on THIS one!**

_Chapter 30 - Journey_

The sandy air stung Zelda's eyes as she waded through the viscous ground. The air was so permeated with the stuff that Zelda could barely see one metre forward, and even then all she saw was more of the offending substance. Zelda cursed as yet another grain scratched her delicate eye and she brushed it furiously with a rough fist. As an extra precaution she pulled up her scarf so it was just under her eyes, and she then pulled down the bandages on her head so that all anyone would see was a thin slit with eyes as her face. The sooner she got out of here the sooner she could go to Lake Hylia and have a good wash.

She jumped slightly as the gem in her pocket began to vibrate violently. She took it out and pressed it to an ear.

'Hello?'

'Zelda? Where are you?' Rauru's clear deep voice emanated from the stone

'Gerudo Desert,' she spat angrily. 'And it seems to be par_tic_ularly windy today.'

She emphasised the syllable 'tic' in a show of her frustration.

'Ahaha...' the awkward laugh echoed through Zelda's ears. 'Sorry. But it has to be done, unfortunately.'

Zelda sighed in defeat.

'I know.'

'Okay. Well, go on ahead. But there's somewhere where you have to stop.'

'Why?'

'Quicksand. It leads to a small underground cavern that only comes back here. And that's the only way out.'

'Alright. I'm counting on you then.'

'Indeed.'

She shoved the stone back into her pocket and began to trudge forward. The sand was so thick in her line of sight that the world was just... just orange. Some flakes of brown in there, but not much more. The sound was unbearable too; a howling wind mixed with the loud 'swoosh' of the sand falling over each other. When back at the entrance, Zelda could quite clearly hear the stone at arm's length. Now she could hardly hear even when it was pressed up to her ear.

'My goddess! This sand!' She shouted to herself.

The world ignored her and kept on spinning. To put the sound into perspective, Zelda couldn't even hear her _own_ voice. To confirm she had even spoken, her throat vibrated with each word. If it weren't for that, the words would just have been lost to her surroundings, uselessly mixed with the sand's own screaming lungs.

'This damn sand!' She shouted again, her mouth leaving the safety of her scarf in order to make her loud enough for the world to hear.

Unfortunately, the sand took that opportune moment to fly into Zelda's yelling mouth. The small particles flew down her windpipe and she choked violently, almost heaving from the strength of her coughing. After all was done, she got up from her knees and pulled the scarf brusquely over her now sore mouth.

'Goddessdammit! Goddess-friggin'-dammit! Stupid sand! What use do we have for you!' She bellowed, mind exhausted from her anger and frustration. That sand rudely entering her throat was the last straw. She was swearing so much and so terribly that the stone started to vibrate in her pocket.

'What!' Zelda snapped as she brought it up to her ear. Thankfully her muffled voice didn't carry through to Rauru's ears. One snap like that to her father and she could be saying goodbye to inheriting the grand throne of Hyrule.

'Zelda? What's happening?'

'I tell you what's goddessdamn happening,' Zelda shouted through her scarf, uncaring as to who she was talking to. She just needed someone to shout to. Unlike the world, who didn't seem very happy with her complaints.

'This sand! This goddessdamn sand! What were the Three Goddesses thinking when they made this place?'

'Goddess, Zelda, watch the language! Saria's here!' Rauru reprimanded her.

'I don't friggin' care! Now tell me where the bloody quicksand river is so I can't over it and not go back to this place ever a-goddessdamn-gain!'

A pause.

'Do you want my help?' Rauru's voice sounded angry.

Zelda breathed deeply and lowered her shoulders, which were almost up to her chin's height.

'Yes, Rauru, yes I do. I'm sorry,' she apologised sincerely.

'I should think so. The future queen of Hyrule speaking like that? I have a good mind to tell your father!'

'No, Rauru, please don't! It won't happen again, honest!'

Another pause.

'Okay. Make sure of that.'

Zelda thanked him hurriedly and breathed a major sigh of relief. Her dad was already scary enough as it was. She didn't need him bursting a blood vessel shouting about how to speak like a 'proper princess'. Zelda scoffed at that. ''Proper princess'. Sick and tired of this formality that the royal family is expected to have. Maybe that's why she so enjoyed being the relatively unknown Sheik so much.

With a tired sigh, she pressed forward, narrowing her eyes to keep out the tiny irritants. Eventually, the stone vibrated in her pocket and she stopped to listen.

'About ten metres ahead. Keep walking and I'll tell you where to stop.' Rauru's voice seemed a lot calmer, thankfully. Zelda could have sworn he was still going to be angry.

'Thanks Rauru,' Zelda sighed. She started to walk forward slowly, still pressing her ear to the stone and waiting for the alert. Thirty seconds later, a loud 'Halt!' sounded, and she stopped.

'Here?'

'Yes. You're about one step away from the sand river.'

There was another small pause. It was as if he was conversing with other Sages as to what solution they were to come up with in order for her to cross the sand.

'Okay,' Rauru's voice finally spoke. 'Can you see a pole on the other side of the river? Like a flagpole?'

Zelda squinted, both due to the sand and the attempt to see better. Just about ten metres away, there was the faint outline of a tall plank of wood. Little glimpses as the sand passed her eyes, but still somewhat visible.

'Yes, I see it.'

'Okay. Here's the problem.'

Zelda's heart sunk as she heard those words.

'Well, you can't exactly jump over the river, especially with the sand so thick. And there's the flagpole on the other side, handily. So I can give you an item to cross the river without any problem.'

'And what's the big "problem" you're so anxious about?' Zelda asked expectantly.

'Well we have to get you over to the Sacred Realm to do that...'

'And to do that I...'

'Have to fall unconscious, yes,' Rauru said, surprisingly sheepish.

'In this sand? You want me to choke to death now?' Zelda's voice was angry again.

'Um, no of course not. But how else will you cross the river?'

Zelda shook her head, both in disbelief and defeat.

'You owe me Rauru. You owe me big.'

A last nervous laugh sounded before Zelda threw the stone back into her pocket and lay down. The sand slowly encompassed her body as dark patches began to appear in her vision. With one last annoyed sigh, she lost consciousness.

XxX

She awoke in the Sacred Realm, with everyone in place at their pedestals. And someone else she wasn't expecting to see.

'Impa!' She shouted, surprised.

Impa smiled back and raised a hand in greeting. Zelda suddenly realised something.

'Oh goddess, Impa. I'm so sorry about what happened back there. It was just the sand and my eyes and the dirt and...'

Impa raised another hand to silence her.

'Hey don't worry about it. I used to swear all the time. No problem.'

She looked Zelda up and down and smirked.

'Besides, I can imagine what you have been through.'

Zelda looked down at her clothes. They were saturated with sand, right down to the creases in her leggings and top. She looked as if she was about to scream in anger, but she stopped when she saw Saria cover her ears in the corner of her eye.

'Thanks,' she muttered instead.

Rauru came into view, with a somewhat sulky face.

'Firstly Zelda, I just want you to know that what happened back there was highly inappropriate.'

Zelda rolled her eyes, but Rauru continued.

_He lectures just like my father_, she thought. _He talks, I stop listening._

When he was done, he looked at Zelda.

'Nonetheless, we must make haste. Link will be through to the desert soon. Therefore I grant you this, the Chain!'

A soft blue light illuminated Rauru's outstretched hands and an item slowly fell toward him. He caught it and gave it to Zelda, who examined it. It was only about a metre long, and the end had a blade on the end, but not like any blade Zelda had ever seen before. It was as if someone had taken a normal knife but converted it into three dimensions.

'With this, you will be able to traverse long gaps and canyons, as long as there is something to latch onto on the other side. The chain is charmed, so it will elongate according to the situation.'

The chain shimmered a dark blue as Rauru said it, as if confirming his assurance. Zelda latched it over her shoulder and fastened it at her hip so it looked like a strap on a bag.

'Thank you, Rauru,' Zelda said graciously.

Rauru nodded, the familiar furrowed brow present on his face once again. Zelda lay down on the pedestal and closed her eyes. In a matter of seconds, she was unconscious.

XxX

She awoke in the same place as she was - lying down in the sand. The sand had taken advantage of her lack of movement and crept up around her, as if building a gate to keep in the beast. Zelda growled and shook of the pathetic production. She stood and looked up to where the flagpole was. It was still just about visible. Good. She took the chain from her chest and tossed it around in her hand.

_Now how's this gonna work?_

Zelda shrugged casually and threw the pointed end in the direction of the flagpole. Almost instantaneously, the chain glowed blue and elongated, more links seemingly appearing out of nowhere. Zelda gasped, mesmerised, as the chain wrapped around the flagpole - as if it had a mind of its own. She pulled on it slightly to test out its strength, and it barely moved. Excellent.

She took a few steps, getting a bit more distance between herself and the river. Then, in a sublime of acrobatics, she sprinted and jumped a metre short, using the chain to pull herself over the gap in a perfect arc. As soon as she felt she cleared it, she let go and broke her fall, bending her knees upon impact. The chain glowed blue again and shortened. Leaving the flagpole, it slithered up to her like a Rope and came to rest by her feet, as if to say 'My work is done,' with a hefty sigh. Zelda smiled and picked it up.

'Whoa...' she said in wonder while she examined it. _Amazing..._

Zelda slung it back over her body as it was originally, and pressed forward through the dreaded sandy air.

She was walking for about ten minutes when she caught a glimpse of the flagpole again.

'Uh?' She said, bewildered. Staring through the mist again... yes, there it is! But why...?

The stone in her pocket vibrated, and Rauru's surprisingly shaken voice trembled through.

'Um, I forgot to tell you...'

'Yes...?' Zelda whispered with mounting anger.

'There's only one way through the desert and...'

'What...?'

Well, it's a tricky place. You see, you can never get through the desert unless you take that route.'

'And what happens if I don't?'

'You'll be sent back to the beginning.'

What followed - Zelda's scream of mixed fury, confusion and rage - brought Rauru to lecture her again, on how language like that was 'totally inappropriate' and that he felt 'that serious action must be taken', but Zelda couldn't care less. All she did was repeat that word; that dreaded four letter word again and again and let it echo throughout the desert and it burst the ears of a nearby merchant, bringing him to giggle nervously at the forbidden sound.

That would be something to tell his friends about for the ages to come.


	31. Chapter 31 Sand

**A/N: Thanks to ZeldaRubix for her review!**

**That was my first attempt at a bit of humour. I'm glad it made you laugh ZR! And yes, I get a HUGE inspiration from Nintendo's selection of BADASS women XD**

**I can't really believe we're nearing the end of this fanfiction and I may add that I can't believe I have been keeping it going for this long! So here's my big thanks to everyone who has reviewed this and kept me going**_**: alwaysingirl, Rosewing-chan, James Birdsong, mairaloveszexion, Kirkysaurus, Kick-Aft, Fanfiction Ninja, TheoneandonlyKaorin, ZeldaRubix, Ananymous Reviewer and pikachucat**_**. You guys are all truly awesome - I'll be sending out individual PMs to my regular reviewers to celebrate 100 REVIEWS!**

**Jesus... I'm nuts XD**

**Before we start, big thanks to TheZeldaDungeon for their Haunted Wasteland walkthrough on YouTube. This helped me out a lot :)**

**So, Zelda has yet to pass the desert. What will she find on the other side?**

**Read on!**

_Chapter 31 - Sand _

Zelda cleared the flagpole again with relative ease, but she was still grumbling obscenities to herself.

'Goddessdamn sand, goddessdamn desert, goddessdamn Ganondorf,' she grumbled quietly to herself, not wanting to trigger another lecture from 'Saint Rauru'. Zelda could've sworn that the lecture he gave her recently lasted a good ten minutes. It's like when the tutor she had would tell her off about wasting time - but then contradicting herself by wasting time anyway. In a few ways it reminded Zelda of home. She could imagine her father doing the exact same thing as Rauru, viciously scolding her as best he could and trying to set appropriate standards. It was this thought - this desire to end this journey so she could go back home and back to normal - that spurred Zelda on through the howling wind and irritating sand fog.

The stone vibrated in Zelda's pocket and she took it out.

'Hm?' she hummed impatiently.

Rauru's voice sounded normal again. Maybe his throat was sore.

'Here. Stop here. Go any further and you'll find yourself at the beginning again.'

'Okay, so lead me through it,' Zelda said dismissively.

'Right. From here go forward a little bit.'

'Alright.'

The stone vibrated again after Zelda had walked three steps.

'You see the flagpoles?'

Zelda squinted and spotted the soft outline of a fluttering flag on the top of a long pole.

'Yes.'

'You want to go to that and keep close to it, but only by a metre or so, mind. After that you should see a few more flagpoles ahead of you. Do the same with them as well.'

'Okay then. Tell me when anything changes.'

'Of course.'

The stone sopped shining and Zelda put it back in her pocket. She marched, or rather trudged through the sand again sighing. She passed a lot more flagpoles until a small hunk of bricks came into view.

'What's that?' she asked no-one in particular.

Zelda strode over to it slowly, sand encapsulating her shins uncomfortably. She groaned as she heaved them out of the stuff every few seconds. The sooner she was out of this desert...

She found a slight slope on the side of one of the walls. Following the trail up, she found it gradually got higher and higher until it got cut off by the roof of the structure. Zelda guessed that since all the flagpoles led up to this point and were arranged in a circle around the small building, this was where she had to be.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the stone vibrating in her pocket.

'Okay. At this point, you have to listen exactly to where I direct you, because the direction you have to go is _very _precise.'

'Well, you've got my attention then,' Zelda said gratefully.

Rauru's voice shone through the stone as he directed Zelda this way and that, making note of sharp turns and twists, navigating Zelda through a seemingly insane path that if seen overhead would look like it was drawn by a toddler, or someone in a mental asylum. Zelda made sure to acknowledge _everything_ Rauru told her, knowing that if she messed up here, she could be sent swearing back to the beginning of this wretched area. Eventually, another flagpole came into view, in the middle of two walls which made a pathway. Zelda sighed and held the stone to her ear again.

'This is it Zelda. Just go straight through that entrance and you'll be on the easy path toward the Spirit Temple.'

'Thank the goddesses,' Zelda said, and shoved the stone back into her pocket.

As soon as she passed the two walls, the wind ceased to exist and the air was nice and soft, nothing compared to the storm she had just been through. She smiled, no, grinned at the revelation, basking in the warm sun and marvelling the sudden change in atmosphere.

This new founded exuberance, however, was quickly cut short as enemies started to form, climbing out of the ground. They looked like plants, with unpleasant spikes on the top for teeth. Zelda grimaced as she recalled what they were. Leevers, nasty little creatures. They tended to strike people who were unaware, waiting for them to get distance on them before exiting the ground and chasing after them with uncharacteristic speed. They were starting to advance on her now, teeth aching for new prey. Zelda flicked out a dagger and got into battle stance.

The Leevers, with no apparent intelligence or sight, kept coming toward her. Zelda quickly bent low and slashed at the nearest one, creating a large dark green gash in its skin. It screeched loudly and returned underground, leaving its companion to fight Zelda.

It again kept coming forward, oblivious to the fate of its friend. Zelda smiled at its naiveté and took out some needles, flinging them at the green thing. They all hit with tremendous accuracy and the monster screeched, returning underground like its fallen comrade. Zelda smiled and wiped the dagger clean of the Leever juice. That was quite an easy fight, but it was a fight nonetheless. That was something current events had been lacking a lot of - fights. Even though Zelda used to abhor fighting, she seemed to miss it. She didn't count the Gerudo, of course. She merely knocked them out and propped them against each other humorously with them not doing anything to retaliate.

Zelda placed the dagger back in her holster. All that remained was to get to the large rock just ahead of her and wait for Link to come and learn the song of the Spirit Temple. She only took five more steps before two more Leevers broke out of the ground and advanced on her. She groaned and dispatched of them. Fights were great, though she didn't want them all the time. Hopefully they wouldn't be as frequent as this later on.

XxX

Ten Leevers later, Zelda made it to the entrance of the temple. She sighed and shoved the Gerudo dagger back into her holster. This was just like the stalchildren she had fought a while back. She remembered that number - twenty-three - the number of them she had killed in one night. That was a good, if annoying night.

Zelda waited for a few minutes before the stone in her pocket vibrated again.

'Yeah?' she inquired of it.

'Sorry for this change, but instead of waiting for Link at the front of the temple, can I have you wait at the top of that rock?'

'Why?'

'Well, the temple has to be traversed in both the past and the present. Link needs to find this out himself, so he'll go into the temple first. After he comes out, he'll know, and then you'll teach him the Requiem of Spirit.'

'Okay.'

Zelda shoved the stone back into her pocket and climbed up the rock. Soon, Link emerged from the desert and ran toward the temple. A few Leevers emerged again, but he easily dispatched of them with a few swings of his sword. He quickly gran into the temple entrance and Zelda waited for him to exit. He did only five minutes later, and Zelda jumped gracefully off the platform, landing perfectly in front of Link.

'Past, present, future...' Zelda began.

'The Master Sword is a ship with which you can sail upstream and downstream through time's river... The port for that ship is the Temple of Time...'

'To restore the Desert Colossus and enter the Spirit Temple, you must travel back through time's flow... Listen to this Requiem of Spirit... This melody will lead a child back to the desert.'

She brought out her harp, and Link brought out his ocarina as was the routine. They played the simple melody beautifully, Link's ocarina complementing Zelda's harp as if the two instruments were designed by the same genius. The sand along the ground danced to the rhythm of the music, melodically shifting and flowing with each note. The song finished, and the sand fell as it had started, laying on the ground in silence. Throughout the song, Zelda could've sworn there was an owl perched on the top of the temple, listening and moving its head to the melody made by the two chosen by the goddesses. And as soon as the song had finished, it flew off, as if content with the song that had just been played for him. Zelda smiled knowingly and focused her gaze back on Link. He was advancing toward her, and the small ball of light that was accompanying him was dancing behind her head, humming with each movement up and down. A stream of sand started to form by her feet, and she knew that this was the action of Rauru.

Link shielded his eyes as the sand around Zelda started to pick up and Zelda threw down a Deku Nut and scrabbled back up the rock where she originally was resting. Link didn't bat an eyelid, and took out his ocarina again. Playing the Prelude of Light, he transformed in a stream of yellow light, which rose up into the air and flew speedily in the direction of the desert. Zelda smiled as she looked after it. Dark clouds started to form in her vision and she lay down.

Seconds later, she was asleep.


	32. Chapter 32 Quest

**A/N: Thanks to ZeldaRubix, RoseWing-chan and (NEW REVIEWER!) mizsxy91 for their reviews! **

**Thanks ZR! I actually think it's quite appropriate to listen to Sheik's Theme when you read these (after all, it is focused largely on Sheik and how she came to be). In fact, I think it's awesome! I should really listen to music when I read fanfics. Oh yeah, and I definitely agree with you on Sheik getting her own game. After all, she's like a ninja, right? Imagine the possibilities!**

**Sorry for the reeeeally late upload guys - I've been both busy AND distracted (not a good combination lol). I got Kid Icarus: Uprising on Tuesday and have just been playing the hell out of it. It's amazing, though; I really recommend it! :D **

**Forgive me if there are any typos or grammar mistakes. I kinda had to rush this one :P**

**Again, big thanks to TheZeldaDungeon on YouTube for their video walkthroughs, and also thanks to Angelfire for the Shiek quotes! I have to refer back to these a lot :D**

**So, Zelda has finally taught the last song to Link, thus ending her quest. What does Rauru have in store for her?**

**Read on!**

_Chapter 32 - Quest_

As was the case, Zelda awoke on a pedestal in the middle of a raised platform, with waterfalls splaying off from all directions. She stood up and rubbed her eyes until a vague view of three silhouettes began to form. Slowly, the light started to form around Rauru, who had a serious look on his face. No-one spoke for a while.

'The time has finally come, Zelda,' Rauru's voice cut the tough silence.

'Your quest has finally come to an end. You have taught Link the final song and all that is left for us to do is wait until he awakens the last Sage.'

Zelda was dumbfounded.

_This is it? It's really over? _She thought to herself. It felt like months and months had passed since she had got that first assignment - to teach Link the Minuet of Forest - but in reality it had only been roughly two months. It felt like it had been much longer, but that was probably because Zelda hadn't had a proper rest for the time that she had been on her quest. Of course, the fights that she had had - the stalchildren, wolfoses, Drazzil, the spirit of the Well - didn't help the time factor.

'It's really over, Rauru?' she had to ask. She was still shocked it had been so quick.

'Yes. This is it, Zelda. All that remains is for us to wait for Link to awaken the Sage of Spirit. After this, we will go to Ganondorf's castle and defeat him, bringing an end to his evil reign.'

Zelda was so glad to hear those words. The end of Ganondorf would bring with it a peaceful Hyrule, one not plagued with monsters, one where the people will live without fear. It would also allow her to finally see her family, whom she had not seen for seven long years.

'Thank the three Goddesses. And you, Rauru,' she said, bowing. 'What is there left for me to do?'

'Once Link has awakened the final Sage, he will be instructed to travel to the Temple of Time. It is there that you yourself will reveal your true identity and...'

The pause confused Zelda. What else was there to reveal?

'...And?' she said expectantly.

'I expected that you were unaware...' Rauru muttered to himself. He then turned to Zelda.

'There aren't just six Sages, Zelda. There are seven. The sixth Sage is being awakened right now, but... the leader the one to preside over them all, is...'

There was a long pause. Zelda ached to hear the answer. _Who was the leader of the Sages?_

'The leader of the Sages... is you, Zelda.'

Zelda drew back abruptly in slight shock.

_I am the leader of the Sages? _She thought to herself incredulously._ That is too much of a burden to bear! How am I to do that myself?_

Rauru ignored Zelda's dumbstruck face and continued.

'It has been your destiny all along, Zelda. As the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, you were the one chosen by the Gods to take on this task. You are also the perfect leader, being the princess and soon-to-be queen of Hyrule. I regret to inform you that you should have been told a long time ago.'

Zelda was a little less shocked, and intently listened to what Rauru had left to say.

'This is your task, then. Travel to the Temple of Time and wait for Link. When he is there, tell him his next task - to fight and kill the King of Evil. Afterwards, tell him everything you can about the Triforce. He has to know this information himself if he is to be the bearer of it.'

'After all is said and done, reveal yourself as the last of the six Sages, the leader of them. Show your true form to him. When the time comes I shall assist you.'

Zelda nodded affirmatively.

'Understood, Rauru. I'll get to the Temple of Time as soon as possible.'

'This is it, Zelda. The fate of Hyrule, nay, the world rests in your hands.'

Zelda grimaced.

'Thanks,' she said sardonically.

Rauru eyed her before raising a hand. Soon, Zelda's vision started to blur. She lay down and eventually lost consciousness.

XxX

Zelda awoke quickly, at the entrance of Gerudo Valley.

'Huh?' she uttered, dazed. She could've sworn...

Ah! Rauru must have teleported her there in order to get past the desert. What a kind man! That, or he wanted to avoid more swearing...

Zelda smiled and shook her head. Ascertaining the direction she was supposed to go, she sped off. Luckily, it was daytime, so no stalchildren would come out and bother her. If she reached the Temple of Time before it got dark she was home free.

Three hours later, Zelda reached the drawbridge leading into Hyrule Market. Even though it was daytime, everything around this spot seemed... darker. As if a purple haze was drifting outward and clouding the sun's rays from hitting the ground. Looking up, she entered the lowered drawbridge. She hadn't been here for seven years, not once even during her time at Kakariko. She wondered what the Market would look like now. After all, there was no-one living there now.

She got to it and instantly her jaw dropped. The usually bustling town, filled with the playful shouts of children and businessmen alike, was coloured a deep shade of brown as the buildings were torn apart and dilapidated. Redeads, enemies that Zelda had heard to be deadly, were everywhere, walking painfully around in search for something to kill, or eat. Zelda made a point not to go near them as she approached the Temple of Time. Someone had once told her their scream can root you to the spot, leaving you helpless and the things slid over to you and began to attack.

Thankfully, none of the Redeads spotted her and she made it to the pathway which led to the Temple. The four Sheikah Stones stood to attention in front of a now mutilated flower display, like guards for the Temple. Too bad they couldn't stop Ganondorf before he got in and swiped the Triforce.

Zelda entered the Temple of Time. It was beautiful, like she had always remembered. Although it was strange that this was the only place that wasn't totally destroyed or swarming with monsters, she didn't ponder over it. Instead, she stood on the exquisite red woven mat and awaited Link's arrival.

A half hour of waiting later, Zelda heard a noise. It was so faint; no normal person would ever have been able to have heard it. But then again, Zelda was far from normal.

She quickly dodged out of the way as a bright yellow light entered the temple. It came to a rest on the pedestal in front of her and gradually began to clump together. A few seconds passed, and the form of Link stood on the pedestal, sword drawn and proud. He didn't seem to know Zelda was there, as he jumped when she began to speak.

'Link, the Hero of Time... You have overcome many hardships and awakened six Sages, and now you have a final challenge. A showdown with Ganondorf, the King of Evil...'

'Before that, I have things I want to tell only to you. Please listen. Another unknown legend of the Triforce passed down by the shadow folk, the Sheikahs...'

Zelda paused as an image began to form in her mind. There were clouds... lots of them. It was also raining. Suddenly, a green light pierced the dark gaseous forms of water.

'If you would seek the sacred triangle, listen well...

'The resting place of the sacred triangle, the Sacred Realm, is a mirror that reflects what is in the heart... the heart of one who enters it... If an evil heart... the Realm will become full of evil; if pure, the Realm will become a paradise.'

A beautiful treasure started to come into view. It was the Triforce, three triangles forming the shape of a larger triangle. It was so precious, so real. Zelda wished she could reach out and grab it.

'The Triforce... the sacred triangles... it is a paradise that weighs the three forces: Power, Wisdom, and Courage. If the heart of the one who holds the sacred triangles has all three forces in balance, that one will gain the True Force to govern all. But, if that one's heart is not in balance, the Triforce will separate into three parts: Power, Wisdom, and Courage. Only one part will remain for the one who touched the Triforce... the part representing the force that one most believes in. If that one seeks the True Force, that one must acquire the two lost parts. Those two parts will be held within others chosen by destiny, who will bear the Triforce mark on the backs of their hands.'

The image in Zelda's mind cleared. Link started to walk up to her, but stopped just short.

'Seven years ago, Ganondorf, the King of Evil, used the door you opened in the Temple of Time and entered the Sacred Realm. But when he laid his hands on the Triforce, the legend became true. The Triforce separated into three parts. Only the Triforce of Power remained in Ganondorf's hand. The strength of the Triforce of Power enabled him to become a mighty evil king, but his dark ambitions were not satisfied.'

Zelda's left hand, the one with the Triforce, began to throb slightly, though it was not painful. Zelda knew she had to reveal it soon...

'To gain complete mastery of the world, Ganondorf started looking for those chosen by destiny to hold the other Triforce parts. The one who holds the Triforce of Courage is... you, Link! And the other, who holds the Triforce of Wisdom... is the seventh Sage, who is destined to be the leader of them all...'

A great light enveloped Zelda as she brought up her hand. The Triforce of Wisdom glowed intensely and Link had to shield his eyes. When he looked back, not Sheik, but Zelda was standing before him. She was so different tan when he remembered. After all, she was, like him, seven years older.

'It is I, the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda. I apologize for meeting you in disguise, but it was necessary to hide from the King of Evil. Please forgive me... On that day, seven years ago, Ganondorf attacked Hyrule Castle.

'I saw you as I was escaping from the castle with my attendant, Impa... I thought I should entrust the Ocarina to you... I thought that would be our best chance... As long as you had the Ocarina in your possession, I thought Ganondorf could never enter the Sacred Realm, but... something I could never expect happened...

'After you opened the Door of Time, the Master Sword sealed you away in the Sacred Realm... Your spirit remained in the Sacred Realm... and then the Triforce fell into Ganondorf's hands. He went on to invade the Sacred Realm... Ganondorf had become the Evil King, and the Sacred Realm became a world of evil.

'All this is an unfortunate coincidence. I passed myself off as a Sheikah and hoped that you would return. I waited for seven years... And... Now you are back. The dark age ruled by Ganondorf the Evil King will end. The six Sages will open the sealed door and lure Ganondorf back into the Sacred Realm. I will then seal the door to the Sacred Realm from this world. Thus, Ganondorf the Evil King will vanish from Hyrule.'

'Link... In order to do this I need your courage again. Please protect me while I do my part.'

Zelda paused as something started to form in her hand. Layer upon layer, until finally a small yellow crystal was made. Zelda knew what this was - the famed Light Arrow crystal, said to penetrate evil's defences with ease.

'And here is a weapon that can penetrate the Evil King's defences... The power given to the Chosen Ones...'

Zelda paused as if preparing herself for she was about to reveal.

'The sacred Arrow of Light!'

A soft circle of light formed around Zelda's feet as she raised her hands into the air. A ball of yellow light formed between them, floating above her head for a few seconds. Eventually, the ball became an arrow with the crystal from earlier covering the point. Link raised his hands too and the arrow fell toward him. He held upwards in a sign of triumph, waiting for a few seconds before putting it away and turning his focus back to Zelda.

Suddenly, a faint rumbling started to occur. Zelda made a puzzled face and looked at the ground around her. The rumbling intensified slightly and Zelda began to worry.

'That rumbling...' she said to herself, 'It can't be!'

Quick as a flash, a purple crystal fell around Zelda's feet. It started to close together around Zelda and she screamed.

'Link, help!' she screeched.

Link perked up and started forward, but it was too late. None of his sword swings even dented the crystal's surface.

'Let me out!' Zelda screamed as she hit the walls of her prison to no avail.

Ganondorf's booming voice sounded in her ears.

'Princess Zelda... You foolish traitor!

'I commend you for avoiding my pursuit for seven long years, but you let your guard down... I knew you would appear if I let this kid wander around!'

Suddenly, a tingle went through Zelda's hand. She looked down at it and her nerves screamed in pain. She was being electrocuted slowly, subtly, but her body was screeching for forgiveness. She banged on the crystal's surface a few more times before her arms ceased to function. She felt herself rising with the crystal, but only vaguely. Her mind was starting to give out, vision beginning to blur slightly.

'No...' she whispered weakly. The crystal rose further and further from the ground.

The last thing Zelda heard was Ganondorf's booming laughter and the whoosh of the crystal being whisked to his castle.


	33. Chapter 33 Crystal

**A/N: Thanks to ZeldaRubix and Kirkysaurus for their reviews!**

**Thanks ZR! I'm glad my story is making you feel nostalgic about the old days. I'm actually honoured XD I can't really believe I made someone feel nostalgia :P**

**Oh, and I'm glad you 'LOL'ed' at Zelda in the Desert, Kirkysaurus. That was my attempt at a bit of humour :D**

**Again, thanks to TheZeldaDungeon for their walkthroughs on YouTube which help me stay on track. **

**This chapter was inspired by 'Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Piano Medley' by JordanDupuis101 on YouTube. Check out his stuff!**

**Forgive any typos, please. This one was a toughie!**

**Zelda has been trapped by Ganondorf! How will she fare?**

**Read on!**

_Chapter 33 - Crystal_

Zelda awoke abruptly as the crystal housing her bumped against a wall. Her head fell on the side of it and bounced off sharply causing her to gasp out. Not long afterward, a loud cackling seemingly out of nowhere reverberated around the crystal's pink walls.

'Oops,' it sneered. 'Did I wake the poor princess from her nap?'

Zelda instantly recognised the voice. It was Ganondorf's. She quickly recapped on the recent events. Whilst Link and she were talking Ganon sealed her in this crystal. If the swooping scenery had any explanation, she was flying over the decimated marketplace toward Hyrule Castle.

'What the hell did you do Ganondorf?' Zelda shouted abruptly.

'Ooh, touchy aren't we?' the voice teased. 'I haven't done anything yet. But when your precious hero comes to rescue you the three Triforce pieces will be reunited, and my wish of conquering the world will come into fruition!'

Zelda cursed. With no way to tell Link about Ganondorf's plans, the hero would fall into his trap. If, somehow, Link were to be defeated, that would be it. No second chances. Ganondorf's reign will spread around the world and no-one will stand in his way.

'Oh, feeling defeated already? It's natural.'

Zelda shook herself out of her pessimistic mood. Ganondorf wasn't going to be stopped with her thinking like that.

'Link is going to defeat you, wretch,' Zelda announced proudly. 'Your plans will never be realised.'

'Perhaps you don't know how powerful I am,' the voice shimmered.

'I do. But Link is the hero chosen by the Gods. You will never win against him when the Goddesses are on his side! Even if you somehow managed to obtain the completed Triforce he will find a way to destroy you!'

'You seem to have a very... simple view of this matter, Zelda. Not looking into the complications of things are we?'

The crystal suddenly veered left and Zelda hit her head on the side again.

'What the hell!' she shouted fiercely.

'I'm just showing you the error of your thinking, my dear.' The voice was condescending. Zelda scowled.

'And what exactly is my thinking Ganondorf?'

'You are not realistic. You think that the side of good will always triumph over evil. This is a view shared by many of you people. It's all you ever hear about in your stupid stories.'

There was a pause in the speech as the crystal stopped.

'That's exactly the thinking these soldiers had.'

Zelda raised an eyebrow in confusion and peered into the open area before her, which looked like it used to be a battlefield.

And instantly regretted it.

Soldiers were strewn across the ground and were, of course, dead. There must have been at least two hundred, perhaps more. They lay across each other haphazardly, blood sprayed across their wounds and the areas surrounding them. Some of their limbs were lacerated and, on rare instances, were completely amputated. Their faces were young, scared; most of their faces were frozen in a scream. But it wasn't this sight that made Zelda ill. It was the Redeads limping among them, stepping on severed arms and outright crushing them. There were also some chewing on the raw skin of the men, spitting out hunks of muscle. Others that surrounded them fought for that saliva-covered piece as if there wasn't enough to go around. As they fought, they tore at each other with the infamously raking nails they had, and the screeches of pain pierced the crystal's surface and reached Zelda's ears, causing her brain to lurch and her stomach to heave and her mouth to gag.

Zelda resisted the urge to throw up. What she didn't need was her feet to be swimming in vomit.

'See?' The voice hadn't talked in a while. 'ALL of these men had just the same thinking as you and look what happened.'

What he said next made Zelda shudder.

'Even though you share this thinking, you may not end up the same way. That is if you weren't to resist...'

That voice was slathered in horrid venom, cold and unforgiving. It was truly the speech of a killer. Zelda remained silent.

'You see my point, then,' the voice sighed. 'There is absolutely no use for that kind of thinking, especially in war. It's all about skill, luck...'

The voice paused to make the last point stand out.

'...And power.'

The crystal shuddered into life as if it was being pulled by invisible horses and sped back in the direction of Hyrule Castle. Zelda sighed and sat down, knowing she was most likely heading to her doom and unless Link came out of nowhere and shattered the crystal there was nothing anyone could do about it.

'That's a lot better.'

The voice sounded like it was coming from a smirking mouth.

'I can feel it: your aura. It's becomingly increasingly negative by the minute.'

Zelda's eyebrows made an upside-down arch as she bristled angrily. The voice only served to anger her more.

'And now it's glowing red. As red as your father when he used to shout. Tell me, what is it that angers you?'

Zelda lost her self-control and clawed savagely at the crystal's surface. It shimmered at every impact but Zelda's hands felt like they were smashing into a brick wall, but she didn't really care. She wanted to scratch, punch and kick her way out of this floating prison so she could stick her foot in Ganondorf's goddessdamn throat.

'Now, now, that's quite enough,' the voice said. Zelda ignored it and continued attacking the pink translucent wall, not realising that it was all in vain.

Suddenly, a tremendous pain thundered up Zelda's arms and she screamed, collapsing onto the ground and involuntarily convulsing. She lifted her arms and found they were smoking and sparks were running up and down them, making an unpleasant buzzing sound as they travelled.

'Oh, that scream was brilliant, Zelda! Literal music to my ears. Do you mind doing it again?'

Zelda ground her teeth and tried to stand, but she found she couldn't. Her legs just didn't wanted to move.

'No? Well, that's a shame...' the voice had a hint of disappointment. 'It's not anything I can't hear later.'

Zelda clenched her fists and whimpered. As her fingers folded over and met her palms a small electric shock zipped through her arm, but she felt the urge to resist pulling them away. She wanted to show Ganondorf how much humans could live and endure, as long as their minds were not destroyed in the process. She wanted him to look upon her and shock her again, and draw back in surprise that she was still breathing, very much alive. Laugh at his shocked face and spit in it, and trample him down and kick him with her legs and cause any sort of pain to him that would equal the pain he had caused thousands.

The crystal was still carrying on to Hyrule Castle, oblivious to Zelda's thoughts of bloodshed. Eventually, the castle came into view and Zelda's jaw dropped. The walls were a horrid grey compared to the pure white they were when she was last there. The bridge connecting the castle entrance to the field was completely gone. In fact... the field was completely gone. But.. How? How does one get rid of a FIELD?

The moat surrounding the castle was also gone. Instead of a mere trench, the hole was now the size of a lake. And instead of water, the usual liquid that filled lakes, there was lava. It was as if Ganondorf wanted to cause as much pain to anyone as possible. Ironically, little skeletons of monsters floated in the viewing area of the windows at the side of the castle.

'I think that's enough,' the voice interjected the silence. The crystal swooped downward and into the entrance, which seemed hardly maintained. It zipped past the two Beamos, but not before they spotted it and fired a beam at the intruding object. Zelda flinched, but the lasers couldn't cut through the crystal's surface. She heaved a sigh of relief as the door opened by itself and the crystal carried on, uninterrupted.

The huge room looked grisly. Zelda joked in her mind that Ganon should get a better interior designer, but then figured it wasn't the best time to laugh.

There was a huge sculpture right in the middle of the room, which was decorated with a horrid-looking skull. It had a purple light around it, which Zelda concluded must have been a shield spell. It was being maintained by six different spears of light, all different colours. Oddly, they all resembled the colours of the pedestals that the Sages stood on in the Scared Realm. There was no time to think about it, however, as the crystal passed through the barrier with ease and advancing into the next room. It quickly zipped up the spiralling staircase and through the subsequent rooms, paying no attention to the monsters nestled in it. If they were anything to go by, Link was going to have a hard time getting to Ganon's room.

Suddenly, music filled Zelda's ears. It was played on an organ, a regal instrument that was expensive, only being owned and played by the most skilled and wealthy musicians. The melody itself sounded complex, but never missing a beat even though she had never heard it before. It was evil, morose and it made the hairs on the back of Zelda's neck stand up. Beautiful and horrid at the same time.

The song got louder and louder as the crystal got further and further up the staircase. Eventually, it was as if it was inside the crystal. Only a few seconds after this new development, and the crystal entered the grand throne room, or what used to be it. A robed figure was at the far end, playing the organ that Zelda had heard earlier. She suddenly noticed, as the crystal hovered over to the person, that the organ was actually her father's. His most beloved prized possession, this was the one item that he cherished. It was passed down through generations, and Zelda knew Daphnes loved his father. It also held significant sentimental value to Zelda as well. This was the same organ that Zelda had learned to play, her tiny fingers clumsily bashing the keys lightly. Zelda wanted to cry as she remembered her father laugh as she hit the wrong note, gently guiding her to the right one and looking upon her in admiration. And now it was subject to the blood-stained hands of a treacherous blackheart.

Ganon didn't speak to Zelda for a while, simply playing the same tune over and over. Zelda watched him with disgust and incredulity. How could, how COULD he? How could he do all these things? How could he kill thousands of innocent people all for the sake of a futile fantasy? Zelda hoped more than anything that when Link came to defeat him, he would do it in the most painful way possible.

Ganon seemed to catch on to her anger because he smirked, but his playing never wavered. Instead, he looked up at her with orange eyes, an evil grin plastered on his face.

'You'll be glad for what I have in store, Zelda. It will definitely be worth all this trouble I've been through.'

What he said next turned Zelda's mood upside-down, mere confusion in her mind.

'You should look into the history of the royal family. My rule will certainly be less bloody than theirs.'


	34. Chapter 34 Arrival

**A/N: Thanks to ZeldaRubix, Kirkysaurus, RoseWing-chan and alwaysingirl for their reviews!**

**Thanks ZR! I'm glad to know that you understood the portrayal of Ganondorf's rationale. I've always found that villains like him have some very screwy reasons as to why they commit evil, which they believe in with their lives. I tried to emphasise this Ganon's dialogue and to show exactly why he is doing these things (even if they aren't right).**

**Thanks Kirky! I wanted to keep the description of the castle as close to the game as possible. Glad you liked it!**

**Thanks RoseWing! Yeah, I tried as much as I could to get that 'creepy' vibe going with that chapter. Glad you got it!**

**And I never thought I would be creating tension between characters. That's a first for me. Thanks alwaysingirl!**

**As always, thanks to TheZeldaDungeon on YouTube for their video walkthroughs that help me out immensely.**

**3,000 words guys! I never though I would be able to do this! XD**

**So, what exactly did Ganondorf mean when he said that last sentence?**

**Read on!**

_Chapter 34 - Arrival_

'What did you just say?' Zelda inquired, honest confusion written on her face.

'You heard me,' Ganon retorted, still playing the organ. Zelda wondered how his fingers hadn't started to ache by this point. 'My rule... it will not be obligated to such laws as yours. As you can plainly see I'm above that. But it's because of these laws that you feel you and your father's rule are the best way for everyone. And this is my point... before judging me for what I've done, maybe you should start to look at the history of your family. They aren't exactly the six Sages either, you know.'

'How dare you compare my family to yourself. My ancestors would never stoop so low as to slay thousands of innocents... and in the name of what? A fantasy that you have been playing out in your mind for years now?'

'This isn't a fantasy, Zelda. This is real. Link is going to come through that door and I am going to defeat him. The Triforce will reunite - in the grand throne room of Hyrule Castle!'

His voice reverberated around the walls of the crystal and Zelda covered her ears. It pierced through her eardrums and played with her nerves - like a voice in the mind of an asylum resident urging its owner to kill, destroy.

'Link is going to defeat you, Ganondorf. You may stand by your belief that you will defeat him and claim the Triforce for yourself, but what happens if you don't?'

'I will not be defeated. As I have already told you, your basis for belief - the belief that good shall always triumph over evil - is useless. Such optimism doesn't get you anywhere does it?'

His eyes, which were so focused on the beautiful keys of the organ, looked up, deep into Zelda's mind. They were a fiery orange. It was as if Ganon was so war-hungry that wars were even being waged inside his irises.

'I'm sure Link must also have the same belief as you, but as I said, it's useless. Faith doesn't get you anywhere in this world. It's only power, wisdom...'

He focused back onto the keys.

'...And the courage people are so desperately missing that gets you somewhere. Maybe that's why they base their faith on such ridiculous beliefs, without consideration for what the future may hold.'

Zelda stood proudly and stared down at Ganondorf, who was still focused on the organ.

'Without faith what do we have?' she shouted. Ganondorf looked up at her calmly, hearing out what fables she had left to tell. After all, her death was very near.

'We have nothing. Nothing but to entrust our lives with the people who we love. We have faith that in our hour of need they will assist us. Without this faith how will they know? They would simply be blind as to what lies ahead; running a marathon but never accomplishing something, working for no pay, being subject to torment from creatures...'

Ganondorf smirked and returned his gaze back to the keys again.

'...Like _you_.'

Zelda spat out the last word as if it were fire on her tongue. Ganondorf didn't deserve the pronoun. He didn't deserve his rule. He didn't deserve to live.

'You may hold to your belief still, Zelda,' Ganondorf sneered condescendingly, 'But I may have refer back to what I said. That the rule of your ancestors was not as rosy as you think it was.'

Zelda gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. He was playing with her. Seeing how she would react. Trying to make her lose her faith.

'If you knew what they did, then in your eyes...'

Ganondorf looked up again but his playing still didn't waver. He had been playing for at least an hour straight now.

'...They would be evil too.'

Zelda screeched and smacked the inside of the crystal with her palms, aiming her punches at the head she could see through the translucent wall. Ganondorf still played as if ignoring a child who was having a tantrum in the middle of the street.

'How_ dare _you! How _dare_ you say such a thing about the royal family. You shall be tried for treason of the utmost degree!'

'Keep making your threats. I don't care about what you do.'

He laughed evilly, causing Zelda to flinch at the echoes of the crystal.

'It's as if you think you will rule again! Do you hear me Zelda? You shall never rule again, ever! The future of Hyrule will be drenched in you and your family's blood!'

Suddenly there was movement from the entrance of the room. Zelda looked up and immediately her heart sunk. The green-clad figure gasped as he looked up at her, and Ganondorf grinned.

'As if sent by the goddesses,' he whispered only loud enough for the crystal to amplify but not for Link to hear.

Suddenly, a bright light in the shape of a triangle began to form around Link's hand, reducing in size until only one triangle remained on his hand. Zelda's hand twitched and rose of its own accord, and a triangle formed on her hand as well. The Triforce of Wisdom shone proudly for all to see, as if offering itself to Ganondorf.

Ganondorf finally stopped playing and all was silent. He still faced the keys as he spoke, his voice severing the darkness through its heart.

'The Triforce parts are resonating. They are combining into one again.

'The two Triforce parts I could not capture on that day, seven years ago... I didn't expect they would be hidden in you two!'

He laughed and his hands fell away from the organ. Zelda flinched at the volume and sharpness of the bellowing laugh. It was evil. Pure evil.

'And now, finally, all the Triforce parts are gathered here!'

He span around abruptly, flinging his cape as he did so. Link almost stepped back, but instead steeled himself and stared at Ganondorf, deciphering what he was going to do next.

'These toys are too much for you!' Ganondorf yelled as he raised a fist. A triangle of light appeared around his hand and centred at the top, the Triforce of Power blazing compared to the shadow of the rest of the room.

'I command you to return them to me!'

He roared savagely and a wave of darkness burst from his Triforced hand. Link shielded himself with his hands, trying to resist getting blown away by the sheer power of the waves.

'Link! I can't help you! Because of the waves of darkness, I can't get close!' the ball of light next to him shouted over the din of the power.

'I'm sorry, Link!'

Ganondorf ceased the wave and laughed loudly. He began to float erratically, laughing as he did so, and Link shifted into a battle stance, shield and Master Sword ready.

Ganondorf roared again and punched the ground in front of Link with a glowing fist. Link dodged immediately and ran backwards as the floor around him started to collapse into the long fall beneath them. Ganon didn't let up as he formed an electric ball of light and threw it forcefully at Link, who only just dodged out of the way before it hit him. The tile that was hit fell into the abyss to join the others.

'Can't take it can you!' Ganondorf shrieked maniacally as he formed another ball of light and threw it at Link again. However, instead of dodging, Link swiped his sword at the ball, causing it to fly back at Ganondorf. Ganondorf was probably not expecting to know to do this and Zelda certainly wasn't. The ball hit Ganondorf and he fell to the ground, sparks erupting from different parts of his body.

'Now, Link, now!' Zelda shouted even though Link couldn't hear her. Link seemed to comply, however, and jumped across the gap between the platform he was on and the centre of the room. He struck Ganon's head mid-jump and Ganondorf cried out, blood spurting from the large laceration in his scalp. Link showed no mercy and slashed him all over: his arms, legs and chest bearing the brunt of the attacks.

Eventually, Ganondorf lashed out with a fist and Link dodged. Ganon quickly hovered back into the air and regained his original stance, although Zelda noticed he was moving quite a bit slower now. Blood was leaking from his arms and his head may as well have been wearing a crown of thorns.

'Pesky kid!' Ganondorf shouted as he punched down toward Link. Link quickly ran back and jumped to a platform on the outside before Ganondorf landed.

'Let's see who wins _this_ round!' he shouted as he formed yet another ball of light, throwing it at Link quickly. Link reflected it back again but instead of hitting Ganondorf, he swiped his cape at it. The ball returned back to Link again and he once again deflected it. Zelda watched the two with interest. This was just like she a game she had played ages ago with her family, in the castle courtyard. She couldn't quite remember the name but she did remember her father getting flustered whenever he missed the ball.

Eventually, after at least a minute, Ganondorf messed up his timing and ball careered into his chest, causing him to screech in pain and hold it. Instead of falling to the ground this time, however, he remained in the air. Zelda was unsure of what Link was meant to do, since he couldn't attack Ganon with his sword, him being where he was. However, she forgot the gift she gave to Link back in the temple only hours ago. As if to remind her, Link got it out. His bow shone with a vibrant yellow light which encapsulated the point of an arrow. After some time as Link tried to adjust his aim, he fired and the arrow hit Ganondorf square in the chest, causing him to screech unnaturally and fall to the ground. Again, Link ran up to him and sliced him in mid-air and then many times after that, causing Ganondorf to cry out every time the sword sliced through his skin. Zelda wondered why Ganondorf wasn't doing anything to defend himself, but then reasoned that he must have been temporarily paralysed due to the Light Arrow and his own attack hitting him.

The sparks around Ganondorf dissipated and he rose again, screaming in ballistic fury that made Zelda almost fall down in shock. Link quickly jumped back to a platform on the side before Ganondorf could grab him and crush his skull. Ganondorf was now hovering very slowly. Blood was leaking out of multiple wounds surrounding his body and he was gasping heavily. From the extent of the wounds he had so far sustained, Zelda wondered how he could even keep standing, let alone keeping up the magic to hover.

Ganondorf now did something unexpected. He raised his arms into the sky and they began to tremble violently. A small ball of light formed at his fingertips, then increased in size until it was at least three times the size of his head. Zelda gasped and looked over to Link, who seemed startled, but quickly readied his sword for the attack.

Ganondorf couldn't take the energy anymore and threw the ball downwards. When it hit the ground five smaller balls of light fanned out and erratically snaked towards Link, who wasn't quite sure what was happening. It was as if he couldn't decide which one to hit.

'Swing your sword, Link!' Zelda shouted in vain. Link still seemed mesmerised by the balls of light that were heading his way. They were c=getting closer and closer and Link was still not moving. The only time he did move was when one of them knocked him off his feet and Ganondorf bellowed in laughter.

'Link!' Zelda screamed desperately as he fell to the ground, landing on his back hard. Ganondorf laughed again and started to charge the same attack.

'Link, please get up! Please!'

And he did, although very slowly. Small sparks of electricity were running up and down his body and he was starting to sway uneasily. Eventually, however, he shook his head and managed to regain his senses, but his head still looked like it was going to fall off at any second.

Ganondorf released the ball of light which shattered and snaked toward Link again. Link seemed ready for what was coming this time and readied his sword, although he was in a different stance to his other one. Zelda closed her eyes and waited for the ball of light to hit him. She couldn't bear to see someone get hurt like this, For the sake of Hyrule. For the world. He didn't deserve this like Ganondorf did.

Suddenly, a low shout came from reality and Zelda opened her eyes. That definitely wasn't Link's voice. She gasped and cheered silently as she saw Ganondorf convulsing, sparks illuminating his clothes. Link quickly leapt over and slashed at Ganon like there was no other chance. But this wasn't the Link Zelda knew. This Link was malicious, enduring... courageous. He didn't care for his own safety so long as Hyrule kept hers.

Blood was spraying from Ganondorf's bod like a fountain, and Zelda winced at the amount of it. Ganondorf had raised his hands to his face to defend it, although Zelda saw it as more of a surrender. Link was slashing at him so fast his sword was a blur, and every time he slashed Ganondorf screamed and another laceration formed on Ganon's limbs.

Finally, Ganondorf screamed so loudly that Zelda felt the crystal start to vibrate. She covered her ears and screamed herself, wanting to get away from it. It was blood-curdling even when he was defeated.

'The Great King of Evil...'

Ganondorf spluttered as his mouth filled with purple blood. He threw it up disgustingly and tried to speak again. His voice was hoarse, as if his lungs had been robbed of air.

'...Beaten by this kid?'

His voice sounded incredulous. He only had enough voice left to rasp one word.

'...Link!'

He screeched as a great light covered him and buzzing sound filled Zelda's ears. She flinched as the crystal swayed backwards and the beautiful, expensive stained glass windows around the room simultaneously shattered, spraying coloured chunks of glass everywhere. The walls around them started to collapse but Link stayed where he was, looking around him. The walls vaporised slowly as Zelda gasped, and the pieces dissipated to dust and were scattered by the early morning breeze. Ganondorf was still standing, cape torn and arms raised. He fell forward at Link's feet, and Zelda knew that finally it was over. No more suffering. No more darkness. No more evil.

He was dead.

The crystal started to hover down to where Link stood, next to Ganondorf. The walls exploded outward silently and disappeared, leaving Zelda to land gracefully on her feet. She looked back, and Ganondorf's bloodied, electrocuted mess of a body.

'Ganondorf... pitiful man.'

'Without a strong righteous mind, he could not control the power of the gods... and...'

Suddenly, the floor beneath her began to shake violently and she almost fell. She looked back at Ganondorf's lifeless body with wide eyes.

_This isn't right!_

Link looked at her with a panicked expression and gestured towards the spiral staircase that whirled around the tower. Zelda merely stayed staring at the body surrounded by blood.

_What's going on here? _

The ground began to shake even more violently and Zelda started to come back to reality.

'We have to go!' Link's fuzzed voice got to her ears. She merely looked back at him with watery eyes. Her mind was only focused on one thing right now. One anomaly in their otherwise perfect victory. Her mouth moved. Formed words.

'This wasn't supposed to happen.'


	35. Chapter 35 Sprint

**A/N: Thanks to ZeldaRubix, alwaysingirl, RoseWing-chan, Kirkysaurus and (NEW REVIWERS!) anon and EvanEssence for their awesome reviews!**

**Thanks ZR! Again, I tried to incorporate Ganondorf's beliefs into the chapter as much as possible. In fact, I draw a little inspiration from the 'Columbo' series on (or was) TV. All the perpetrators on that have particularly screwy reasons for their dealings and the dialogue between them and Columbo is just amazing. **

**Thanks alwaysingirl! I also wanted to make Ganondorf as creepy as possible, like any villain would be. Glad it got through! And it's true - why can't Ganondorf just die? XD**

**Thanks RoseWing! I do tend to enjoy focusing on giving villains more life, having them explain their side of things. That way we can all hate them more!**

**I LOL'ed at your review, Kirkysaurus! XD Tennis is EVIL!**

**Really, anon? Hm... I read back through my fic a little but I didn't really see that occurring. Could you give me an example?**

**Congrats EvanEssence! You're the first person from ZR's recommendation to review this. Oh, and you got the 120th review! Thanks for that! Your review was awesome and encouraging :D**

**Wow, the thanks section is sure getting big, huh?**

**Sorry this is a couple days late. I was busy literally ALL weekend at the zoo and a friend's house 8D But today's a holiday for us Brits! What better time is there to resume my fic?**

**As always, thanks to TheZeldaDungeon for their walkthroughs. This chapter was inspired by the 'Ganon's Tower' music.**

**So, why is the castle beginning to quake?**

**Read on!**

_Chapter 35 - Sprint _

The rumbling continued long after Zelda uttered that sentence. Link was still gesticulating wildly, pointing downward. The ball of light that accompanied him was bouncing up and down erratically in the air. Zelda's mind finally snapped back to reality and Link's muffled shouts started to form out of nothing. She shook herself, causing him to stop and listen.

'Link, listen to me! This tower will collapse soon!' she shouted over the din. She knew that they didn't have any time to waste.

'With his last breath, Ganondorf is trying to crush us in the ruins of the tower! We need to hurry and escape!'

She began to make her way to the spiral that circled the tower. It led down to the ground, a handy if not time-consuming escape route.

'Please follow me!' she shouted, beckoning him over. He obliged and ran toward her, and she began running down the spiral. It was tough. Her dress kept catching around her ankles and she kept stumbling. Little jolts of ice would run through her as she tripped and caught a glimpse of the fall on the side of the spiral. She assumed that is one were to throw a bottle from this height, it would simply disintegrate into dust.

She decided to jog instead of running in a full sprint. Only she knew the magic of opening the barred doors around the castle, as did most of the royal family and a few important people, for instance Impa. She knew if she fell here there would be no way for Link to get down and he would end up dying himself.

Link ran beside her, also in a jog. It was quite amusing, actually. They looked like early morning joggers in costume - one a Kokiri boy and the other the princess of Hyrule. They didn't exactly look like they were running for their lives or for each other's.

The bars came into view and Zelda readied her mind. They reached them and Zelda lifted her arms above her head, a pink circle of light forming on the door. Almost instantaneously, the bars shot up, causing Link to jump in surprise. Zelda ignored him and continued through the door.

Inside, there was a large tower which, when Zelda looked up, she found led to the room where they just were. Zelda acknowledged the small meteorites falling around her, making sure none of them hit. Link followed behind her and also nimbly sidestepped the blazing rocks. Zelda ran to the second barred door on the right and opened that one before walking through it, Link trailing only a few metres behind.

Outside there was a ledge to her left. The path between it and the spiral had been destroyed, probably due to the falling rocks from the top of the castle. Even in her dress, Zelda hopped over the small chasm and waited for Link. He exited and jumped over too, and she continued, jumping over the next one with ease. Link also jumped over as she was opening the next door. She went through quickly, and Link followed. It may just have been her imagination, but Zelda was sure that the vibrations coursing through the ground were increasing in magnitude. Perhaps it was due to the meteorites striking the ground near them, but she couldn't know for sure.

Inside the room, there were flaming rocks spread out over the beautiful red rug, which was also in flames due to the exposure to them. Zelda quickly ran around the perimeter of it, knowing that touching one of those rocks could give her a serious burn. Link followed her, also carefully avoiding the deadly obstacles in his path. Zelda opened the door on the other end of the room and they both ran through.

The spiral was starting to thin out and Zelda carefully traversed it, making sure not to look down. If she did so she could have been subjected to a serious bout of vertigo, something she really didn't need now. It was fortunate then that she wasn't acrophobic.

She opened the door on the other end of the path and ran through. There was a single flaming rock in the very centre of the room, but Zelda ignored it. She ran through to the next barred door but all of a sudden, flames leapt up in front of her. She tried to reverse back but more flames sprang up. She was now in a circle of flames, watching the ceiling as two monsters leapt from it. They were stalfoses, stalchildren only all grown up. They were hideous in appearance, with giant blades for weapons and a gruesomely savage grin.

Link took out the Master Sword and charged. The Stalfos nearest to him swiped but he threw his head back, dodging it with ease. The Stalfos, surprised at Link's agility, lost balance and fell forward. Link wasted no time and slashed at its head and chest. It couldn't get up, it seemed, and Link continued hacking away at any vital appendages or body parts to kill it quickly. Eventually it howled, bursting into flames and seeping into the floor. The other Stalfos howled in fury and lunged at Link. Link barely dodged its violent swipe as he was somewhat occupied with the death of its companion. Link quickly slashed at the beast's ribcage and spine, causing both to shatter and the Stalfos to fall to the ground in a dishevelled heap. Link again quickly sliced at its bones, and in a matter of seconds it cried out and burned up, joining its companion in the ashes scattered over the floor. The flames surrounding Zelda dissipated into nothing, and she bowed graciously.

'Thank you, Link. Now let's hurry!' she shouted. He nodded and sheathed his sword, running after her speedily. She opened the next door and ran through.

The spiral again was somewhat decimated at this area as well. The path from the door was normal, but then the rest had been pushed downwards, meaning the two had to jump to get it. Zelda quickly did so and Link followed. Running down, she opened the next door and sped through breezily. The room was covered in the flaming rocks of the outside, and they were also falling from the ceiling. Thanks to Zelda's trained reflexes as Sheik, she could tell where the next rock was going to land. Acrobatically, she dodged the falling rocks and skipped past the ones on the floor. Funnily enough, Link found he was only just keeping up with her.

She reached the door in a few seconds and opened it, running through. There was a staircase which was, again, populated by blazing rocks. Zelda easily swerved between them all, as did Link, and they reached the next set of bars. Zelda opened it and they continued on through. The path that followed seemed empty enough, and Zelda quickly ran through. She didn't quite catch Link's shout over the whooshing noises made by the wind and the falling meteorites.

What she did hear, however, was a piercing scream. It was so loud, so odd, so unfamiliar. Zelda felt her body solidify as if her very blood was frozen. She only caught a shadow of a glimpse of the creature responsible: a Redead. The very same creature she had seen eating the corpses of war splayed all over the battlefield.

She tried to scream, but her mouth was frozen in a concentrated breath. It was sidling up to her, so slowly, so painfully. Its mouth was agape, and she could see the stained yellow teeth it housed. She could have sworn she saw blood splattered across the thing's jaw. All it was concentrating on was her. Killing her and eating her to be more precise. Zelda closed her eyes and waited for the end. Her ears twitched involuntarily with every movement around her. She could hear the whooshing of meteorites and the creaking of the strained foundations of the castle. And most importantly, she could hear the slow shuffle of the Redead's feet, coming closer and closer...

But then she heard a gruesome spurting sound, like a knife slashing through meat. She opened her eyes and saw Link, standing on the creatures back, balancing only due to the sword that he had stuck inside its skull. It seemed to flop forward and Link leapt off, running away before the flames could catch him. At the same time, Zelda felt the rush of blood in her veins as her legs began to come to life. She ran to the bars on the other end of the path and opened them, continuing through to the other side.

There were stairs here, and scattered flaming rocks. Zelda quickly breezed past them and leapt up the stairs, three at a time. Link was just behind her. She opened the door on the other end of the stairs and ran through it, as did Link. As they ran, a huge rumbling unlike any they heard sounded, buzzing through Zelda's brain like an angry wasp. She looked back and saw the castle, the beautiful castle of the royal family, beginning to fall apart before her eyes. Whole chunks of the surrounding spiral fell from the building and clattered on the ground in a deafening shock of sound. Zelda flinched but remained where she was. Small explosions formed all over the walls and the castle started to sink into the ground. Whole watchtowers and walls fell from their position, hurtling toward the ground and joining the mixed sea of the bricks and dust already formed by the dying building. It was sinking so fast now it was like a blur. The top of the tower came into view as the whole thing settled into the ground with an almighty crash. Ganondorf's body was nowhere to be seen.

'It's over...' Zelda heard herself say. Link turned to her.

'It's finally over,' she repeated. She then found the exact meaning of the events that had occurred, and her face broke into an exuberant smile. Link smiled back at her, and the ball of light leapt out of his pouch.

'Link! I'm sorry I couldn't help you in the battle before!' it said, circling his head. Link merely nodded, still looking at Zelda.

Suddenly, there was a loud thump, and Zelda gasped in reflex.

'What was that sound?' she asked no-one in particular. Link started forward, towards the ruins of the roof of the castle. Zelda stayed where she was, dreading anything peculiar happening now of all times.

As Link neared the decimated area, a pile of rubble burst outward. Link quickly shielded himself before any of the stuff could cause any damage. But what it didn't shield him from was the sight nobody there wanted to see.

Ganondorf.

He floated upward and raised his fist wordlessly. The Triforce of Power glowed on his hand and he roared horrendously, his body convulsing in a display of transformation. Zelda gasped as a fantastic light shone forth from his body and it started to grow huge. Horns erupted from the side of his head. His arms grew muscly and gigantic. He wielded twin swords in his hands, which he sliced about menacingly. His eyes were circles, orange in colour. Zelda drew back at his appearance, and she finally understood what the Triforce of Power did to people. This Ganondorf was not like the one Link had fought only an hour ago. This one bore no sentience whatsoever, like a wild beast closing in on its prey.

That prey was Link.


	36. Chapter 36 Redemption

**A/N: Thanks to ZeldaRubix, alwaysingirl, Kirkysaurus, RoseWing-chan and EvanEssence for their reviews!**

**Holy footballs you guys are awesome! Thanks for the 125 reviews! The thanks section will be getting a slight overhaul to avoid it getting too long.**

**ZeldaRubix: Haha, thanks ZR! Sorry about the cliff. I thought about putting that chapter and this one but decided against it later. It would've been way too long :P**

**alwaysingirl: Thanks! I hate stalfoses too, what with one respawning EVERY SINGLE TIME I DIED IN THAT ROOM IN THE SHADOW TEMPLE! -_-**

**Kirkysaurus: I know, sorry about the cliffhanger. But I explained all that in ZR's response :)**

**RoseWing-chan: I LOVE the Redeads in Twilight Princess. They are freakin' epic!**

**EvanEssence: Thanks! As I said, I can't believe I'm making some of you guys feel nostalgia. That gives me so much motivation to continue.**

**Sadly, this fic is coming to an end. This is the penultimate chapter, but as I said in my profile, I'm working on another fic to be released at the end of this. Sorry this is a day late as well. I was kinda sick yesterday.**

**As always, thanks to TheZeldaDungeon for their walkthroughs. This chapter was inspired by 'Awesome Video Game Music 75' by peanut3423 on YouTube search it up and it will make sense :)**

**Ganondorf has been reawakened! What will Link and Zelda do?**

**Read on!**

_Chapter 36 - Redemption_

Flames gushed out of the ground around the two warriors, blocking Zelda from rushing to Link's aid. Ganon slashed his twin blades around heavily, causing a beautiful blur of golden light to form as they cut the air. Link barely parried the strike, which was aimed for his face, but the force of the slice was so great his sword left his hands, flying through the air until it came to a rest in the ground next to Zelda's feet. She gasped and turned back as Ganon roared with power and a savageness that Zelda had never heard. The ball of light floated around Link's head.

'There's no way he's going to hold me back again! This time, we fight together!' it shouted with optimism. In return, Ganon roared again, holding up his blades over his head in an attempt to intimidate Link. In this stance, he was easily three times Link's height. He set his swords down and focused as Link pulled out an odd metal contraption and some Deku Nuts. Through the soft light of the flames, Zelda could barely make out that the metal thing was actually a Longshot, a device that shot out a chain with a point on the end in order to cross gaps. The sharp end that somewhat resembled an arrowhead could also have been used to hunt either fish or small animals. But Zelda was sure that it would have no effect at all on Ganon, the lord of all evil and the holder of the Triforce of Power.

Surprisingly, when the point hit, Ganon seemed stunned, and had to shake his head as if gathering his bearings. Link took this opportunity to roll athletically behind him and throw a Deku seed on his tail. The tail glowed red for a second and Ganon roared in what seemed to be pain. Link jumped back before Ganon's flailing blades could slice him in half. Ganon righted himself and focused back on Link. Link tried the same strategy again, shooting the hook at Ganon's face. Again, Ganon didn't shield it and was stunned once more, leaving Link ran around to reach his tail. Unfortunately, Link was quite far away from Ganon, and before he could run behind him, Ganon sapped out of his trance and swiped at Link. The blunt end of the blade hit Link's hip, sending him sprawling to the ground.

'Link!' Zelda shouted in panic. Link groaned and stood, holding his hip in an attempt to sooth it. Ganon walked toward him slowly, as if his bulk was an equivalent of the armour used by the Hylian soldiers. Link's hand left his hip as he took up his original battle stance. It was like a back and forth conversation. Link's stance and attacks were a shout of defiance against the dark lord's reign, while Ganon's swipes and resilience were the rebuttal of a madman protesting against his wardens.

After a few more attacks, Link threw the Longshot and instead produced the Light Arrows. Ganon drew back as if in fear of them, but then returned to his battle stance. Link notched one of the arrows to his bow and let fly, the projectile careering straight into Ganon's face. Ganon screeched and threw his head back. His back arched, as if he was falling backward, and his arms were flailing in order to regain his balance. Link quickly ran around to his tail and shot it with another readily notched arrow. Ganon screeched again and fell forward, his blade burying themselves in the ground. The flames surrounding the field of battle started to flicker, and Zelda looked over at them. They seemed to sink into the ground, and Link seemed shocked for a second. Zelda had to snap him out of it.

'Link! The Master Sword is here! Hurry up!'

Link obliged and sprinted over to where the sword was stuck into. He threw the bow and Deku Nuts back into his pouch with ease and yanked out the sword. Ganon started to awaken, and the first blossoms of flame started to emerge from non-existent torches on the ground. Link knew what this meant and quickly passed the blazing barrier before it erupted again. Ganon, with the large amount of bulk that he housed in his altered body, was taking a long time to stand. Link quickly somersaulted behind him and almost bifurcated Ganon's weak-point, his tail. Ganon screeched unnaturally and Link jumped back. It was as if the strike from Link had given him the energy of a sprinter, for he roared and almost ran after Link. Link barely jumped back before Ganon's blade slashed him. Instead, it hit a mound of bricks which were left behind in the sinking of the castle. It crumpled to dust instantly. Zelda guessed, with some horror, that if Link were to be hit by one of those slashes he would also disintegrate into small bits of skin and organs.

Thankfully, Link's reflexes were sharp and he dodged every swipe with ease. Zelda was worried that if Ganon had a smidge of sentience, he would trick Link and scatter his parts across the ruins. Link seemed to know what he was doing and dodged each glowing blade, unflinching as the bricks around him collapsed and fell into dust. He took out his bow mid-leap and notched an arrow to it as he reached the ground. He let it fly and again, with supreme accuracy, it hit Ganon's jaw. The circle of light enveloped Ganon's face again and he staggered back, blinded. Link quickly circled him, reaching his mangled tail, and sliced it again and again until Ganon's cry of pain caused him to back off, knowing that the blade would come slashing down at any given moment. It did, and Ganon roared in uncontrolled rage at yet another miss.

Link ran as Ganon chased him, notching another enchanted arrow to his bow. Ganon slashed and screamed as he ran, like a swordsman thrown into the thick of a battle with no prior experience. Link on the other hand was calm, collected, a knight from the front lines, a valuable asset of the royal family. The arrow that he had notched to his bow was waiting patiently for the chance for a kill, glowing subtly. Its wish was realised as it was let go, smashing into Ganon's face with the force of a street brawler's fist. It stuck in his skin and the essence of light ran through his veins and arteries, joining the small pods of light already making their way through his body. Ganon screamed and threw his head back, convulsing as the repulsive substance flowed through him with every erratic heartbeat. Link flipped around and slashed Ganon in the tail again, and Ganon roared and flailed about before resuming his chase.

Meanwhile, as Zelda watched, Rauru's voice seemed to form beside her ear. She could barely hear with Ganon's roars and the crackling of the flames preventing her from entering the field of battle.

'Zelda. I can sense Ganon's power fading. Very soon, Link will deliver the final blow. When this happens, call upon the Sages, and we shall do the rest.'

Zelda nodded as if Rauru was right beside her, watching her every move. Her attention focused back on Link, who was acrobatically flipping over Ganon's blades. Yet another arrow was notched to his bow, but Ganon seemed too bent on utterly decimating Link did he didn't seem to notice. But Rauru was right; Zelda could literally hear his breath as it entwined with her own. It was a ragged, shallow hyperventilating breath, as if Ganon had just been drowning. Link quickly swivelled and shot the arrow with unfailing accuracy at Ganon's face. Ganon roared, but it was so much weaker than before. This roar seemed resigning, as if he was begging for release, but there was still a tinge of resistance. Link flipped around and rolled through Ganon's legs, slashing up at his tail as he did so. After he got up, he continued to slice at the glowing appendage as Ganon screeched with every laceration. Eventually, Ganon fell forward and his blades lodged into the ground again. The flames around the field dimmed and disappeared, but Link was oblivious, still slashing at the already horribly wounded tail. Ganon started to stand, and the flames around them started to rise again.

'Oh no you don't!' Zelda shouted, firing a beam of light from her palms. Ganon's face, already riddled with arrows and a glowing substance, bore the brunt of the attack. While it was only a basic attack, he fell and the flames fell again. Link stopped slashing the tail and looked up at her.

'I'm using my power to hold the Evil King! You use your sword and deliver the final blow!'

Link nodded and ran to the front of Ganon, just as Zelda's power diminished. His blade shone a beautiful blue as he raised his sword and he looked straight into the expressionless eyes of evil. They didn't say anything of Ganon's emotion. All that could be seen was an evil thing, something that had to be destroyed no matter what the cost.

The blade came down, first on the right cheek. Ganon roared and blood splattered everywhere. The sword came back and hit the opposite cheek, and blood spattered again. An arrow lodged in Ganon's jaw snapped in half as the beast's head was flung back to watching Link neutrally. Link's hand drew back, sword poised for Ganon's head. Ganon gave a soft, inaudible whimper, knowing that this was it. The end of his glorious rule that had only lasted for seven years. It all came back down the point of the blade, the decider of whether he lived or died. It chose the latter.

The point struck his forehead, slicing through his skin, skull and brain at the same time. There was a pause, as if Link and Ganon were trying to comprehend what had just happened. Then Ganon jumped up on his feet, flailing around as the blood started to spurt from his head. Zelda was mesmerised for a second, but she remembered what Rauru had said.

'Six Sages! Now!' she screamed into the air. A golden light formed over her, and she raised her arms. The energy required was so intense that when the light faded, Zelda collapsed and fell forward, breathing heavily. Rauru's voice echoed through the air.

'Ancient Creators of Hyrule! Now, open the sealed door and send the Evil Incarnation of Darkness into the Evil Realm!'

Ganon's body seemed to shudder as he was pulled by an invisible force, dragging him down into a void of emptiness. His body seemed to vaporise as he was pulled into the ground, and Link watched him die with a look of interest. His body disappeared from view, and Zelda stood up.

'YOU...' Ganon's voice, thick with venom, hissed from nowhere.

'CURSE YOU... ZELDA! CURSE YOU... SAGES!'

His voice seemed to be decreasing in volume as he spoke. He was falling into an abyss of nothingness, grey all around him. He was destined to fall forever, into nothing. Nothing that he could dominate, invade, rule with the utter savagery that he had once done. What he said next was so distant, but the venom was so concentrated in it Zelda had to wince. It was a single phrase, but it was as if it was it was the final jab at Link. The one who had ruined it all for him.

'CURSE YOU... LINK!'

Link winced as well, but Ganon's voice ran on, lessening in amplitude as the words reached his ears.

'Someday, when this seal is broken... That is when I will exterminate your descendants!'

His voice was so soft now, even though it was meant to be a shout.

'As long as the Triforce of Power is in my hand...'

The word 'hand' was so quiet, Zelda couldn't quite make it out. Link couldn't either, for he shook his head disapprovingly. Zelda smiled and stood, and for the first time in ages, her smile transformed into a grin of the widest calibre. The realisation of what had just happened started to dawn like the sun rising on the horizon.

Ganondorf was dead.

It was finally over.


	37. Chapter 37 End

**A/N: Thanks to ZeldaRubix, RoseWing-chan, EvanEssence, Kirkysaurus and (NEW REVIEWER... I think) anon for their reviews!**

**ZeldaRubix: Thanks! I still can't really believe it's finished :(**

**RoseWing-chan: Thanks! Haha, unfortunately, if I based the fight around my fight with him. Link would be dead in the first minute XD**

**EvanEssence: That's great! I wish I had an N64... **

**Kirkysaurus: Well, you are now relieved on both counts. Unless you hate Pokémon. But this is the final chapter, and my other fic is also up!**

**anon: Thanks! Unfortunately, I doubt whether one for another Zelda game will surface. I might wanna take a break from it a little bit. Focus on some OCs :)**

**Well, damn. I can't actually believe it. This is the final chapter! When I first started back in September I had no idea where I was going with it. But wow! 130 reviews! You guys are freakin' awesome! :D**

**For the final time, thanks to TheZeldaDungeon for their extensive walkthroughs, but for this chapter, sheiksevensage has to be thanked for their footage of the ending.**

**This chapter is inspired by one of my favourite VGMs of all time: Kingdom Hearts - Dearly Beloved. It has a beautiful finality to it, as if it says 'Your quest has finished'. And Zelda's has, sadly.**

_Chapter 37 - End_

She didn't know how, but Zelda and Link were standing on nothing. Fluffy clouds peppered the sky, giving it the beautiful speckling of a Cucco egg, and Zelda was so happy. She didn't know whether it was possible to feel this ecstatic. The hairs on her arms were standing to attention due to the adrenaline making its way through her arteries. Link was standing before her and he was also exuberant, but the effulgence emanating from an invisible source was blinding Zelda from his smile, his grin. But she could make out a look of expectancy, and she cleared her throat.

'Thank you, Link...

'Thanks to you, Ganondorf has been sealed inside the Evil Realm! Thus, peace will once again reign in this world...'

There was a pause as Zelda contemplated the next words.

'...For a time.'

For whilst she was incredibly happy, a seed of doubt had been sown in her mind from Ganondorf's last words. It was true that he did still have the Triforce of Power in his hands, and if he had the power of the Goddesses, there was no telling whether he would stay in the realm forever. It was from this sadness that her next words spawned. She palmed her heart and turned her attention to the ground, for she was ashamed to tell Link.

'All the tragedy that has befallen Hyrule was my doing. I was so young...'

Her voice stuttered for a second, as if tears were starting to form.

'I could not comprehend the consequences of trying to control the Sacred Realm. I dragged you into it too...'

Her voice righted itself.

'Now it is time for me to make up for my mistakes. You must lay the Master Sword to rest and close the Door of Time.'

Link didn't seem to react. He had his eyes trained on Zelda's, to find a sign of grief to throw his comfort upon her. But they remained true and unchanged, strong.

'However, by doing this, the road between times will be closed...'

Zelda hesitated and thought about this for a second. Whilst the Master Sword was one of the keys to the Door of Time, there was one more that was still in Link's possession. Zelda held out her palm and Link looked at it, anticipating her explanation.

'Link, give the Ocarina to me. As a sage, I can return you to your original time with it...'

Link stopped for a second, thinking about what this meant. His original time... as a Kokiri, not a Hylian. Living back in the forest with his friends, all oblivious to the events that had just occurred. His exploits as the chosen hero would be lost to the river of time, but then he could have an actual childhood. He had missed it when he was unconscious for seven years.

The ocarina sat contentedly in his bag, and he roused it from its sleep. It sat in his hand as he mulled the decision over in his mind. Before his mind had been fully made up, the ocarina was Zelda's hand with his hand still on it. Zelda's free hand clasped over his, and with a look of sadness on her face, she looked from it to him.

'When peace returns to Hyrule, it will be time for us to say goodbye...'

Link's hand fell from hers, but Zelda wanted to keep holding it. To know that her saviour would stay with her for longer so that she could fight with him again. But she knew that it was the right thing for him to do. She pressed the ocarina to her chest, as if it were the only physical thing that she had to remember him, even though he was standing right in front of her.

'Now, go home Link! Regain your lost time!'

She paused and sighed.

'Home... where you're supposed to be... the way you're supposed to be.'

She pressed the ocarina to her lips, and felt its warmth pass through her skin. It was as if it was Link pressing his lips against hers, in a display of love, of sadness, of closure. But she remembered why she had it there. Before she could fall into the trance of Link's 'kiss', she began to play. The beautiful notes passed through the air, and a blue light formed around Link. He didn't react, however, as he was mesmerised by her hypnotic swaying. Only when the light started to rise in front of his eyes and a blue aura started to form around Zelda did he look around him. Then he started to rise, and he kept looking down at Zelda.

At the pink scar in her hair.

It was only then that he knew what she had been through, the horrors she had faced, the things she had done. But as she opened her eyes with a sort of tragic lugubriousness, he rose above her and into nothing. Her voice cut through the empty air.

'Thank you, Link. Goodbye...'

Zelda was so thankful that he was gone, because the urge to cry became too much for her. She collapsed in a heap, sobbing for a reason she didn't know. She should be happy. After all, Ganondorf had just been defeated, and peace had been restored to Hyrule. So why was water falling from her eyes?

There was a squawk of a bird far away from her, in a tree somewhere. There was also a calm breeze that flowed through her fingers, mixing with the salty liquid and freezing them. Zelda looked up from her cold hands. There was only grass, and a few trees peppered around randomly. It was a warm day, the sun softly evaporating the water from her face. She stood and looked about her. The first thing she noticed, and this was so trivial, was that the drawbridge was raised even though dawn was starting to break.

'Hm? That's odd...'

Suddenly her eyes got wide and she palmed her throat.

_What, what's wrong with my voice?_

It was so much higher than she remembered. Compared to the voice that she once knew, she was a timid mouse sneaking into a cat's lair. And her hands... were the always this small? Her arms... this short? What the heck?

Zelda's thoughts were interrupted by the low drone of the drawbridge lowering in the distance. She found that she wanted to do nothing more than to run for it, to the antique store, find a mirror and see what was going on. She stumbled again and again, and she was starting to get frustrated. But then she remembered something. She hadn't fallen this much since she was running from the first stalchildren she encountered. So...

She stopped and reached tentatively for her head, ready to shudder at the feeling of the dry flaky skin that characterised the dead skin. But instead, all she could feel was hair. Soft, silky hair for miles around.

_Okay, this definitely isn't normal._

But even so, she liked it. She had vowed never to be rid of the bandages that covered the horrid impurity, but now she was glad to be rid of them. Not only did this mean that she had no scar, but she also didn't have to scratch every two seconds.

She continued to run, and she didn't care that she was stumbling every minute or so. The fact that her scar had disappeared into thin air gave her cause to be ecstatic, exuberant, as she thought it was a cause for misery.

An hour of stumbling later, Zelda reached the lowered drawbridge. The soldier at the other side tipped his hat as a sign of respect, but she ignored him and pressed on. The main she needed right now was a mirror, and the antique shop was only a couple of minutes' walk, or rather run, away from her. She reached it and stopped just short. Whatever she was going to see in the mirror was going to be a shock, that's for sure. The cause for these changes - her voice, appendages and the disappearance of the scar - would be something big, guaranteed.

She took a few deep breaths, clenching her fists as she did so. Then, she stepped in front of the mirror. She almost fainted. The mirror's image was her down to the last freckle on her nose, except for one thing.

The girl that stared back at her was a mere child. If one were to guess her age, Zelda would be 10 years old. She drew back, tiny hand stuck to her now non-existent chest.

_How could this have happened?_

Suddenly, a flap of wings formed in the corner of her eye. She looked up, and there, perched on the roof of the shop, was a large owl. It cocked its head every now and again, on occasion twirling it around in a full circle. Zelda watched it, and it watched her, trying to decipher what the other was thinking. And then Zelda's mind flashed like a torch in a dark cave. The cause of this transformation, why she was like this. She had thought that Link's situation was tragic, having never lived a normal childhood. But that wasn't so far from reality. After all, her childhood had been stolen from her by a king of thieves, the king of Evil itself. And perhaps, Rauru had known this too. For he sent her back to the moments before her life had steered off track.

The owl gave what looked like a nod and flapped its large wings a few times before flying off. Zelda smiled and stood upright. Now there was no reason to be sad. The only reason that she had to be sad was the fact that she hadn't seen her family and...

_Family!_

She ran, just before the owner of the shop could come out and ask whether she was interested in the mirror she was so intently staring at. She ran through the back alleys to avoid any of the traffic that built up at shopping hours. Oh, how she loved that! The market was as it should be. Everything was as it should have been. The shops were back where they were supposed to be. Hyrule Market, not Kakariko. In an open space, not clogging up a village that was already full to bursting.

She reached the pathway that led to the castle and stopped in front of the soldier, hopping on one foot in excitement. The soldier stared at her in puzzlement, but after a few seconds understood why the princess of Hyrule was hopping in front of him, sweating and grinning. He flicked a lever and the bars rose, and Zelda breezed past them before the soldier could bow as was customary.

This was the same for all the other soldiers that littered the meadow outside of the castle. Some of them acknowledged her with nods, but others understood that she just didn't have the time of day.

'Ma'am,' the guard from the front of the castle entrance said. Zelda nodded and sped past him. But after looking at his face, she noticed that he was the one who first revealed that it was time for the royal family to surrender. She gritted her teeth at the memory. The first time she discovered that she could have been torn away from her family. Her mother.

Her father.

He was standing near his throne, pacing up and down while his wife sat at her throne and sighed. Daphnes merely kept his eye on the light coming from the entrance. Any sign of a ripple, a shadow, something.

Suddenly, a silhouette of a girl bifurcated the arch of light and Daphnes stopped. He tapped his foot, and Zelda remembered with a feeling of nostalgia that he did this when he was annoyed.

'Zelda, your walk around the courtyard was supposed to finished fifteen minutes ago. What kept you?'

Zelda's mouth arched. Her lips quivered. Her eyes brightened. Her legs started to move. To run. Her arms spread outward, and during all this, Daphnes' eyes widened, and he braced himself for when Zelda was going to hit his stomach.

She reached him and he responded with a grunt. Her face was buried in his robe and tears began to fall, staining the crimson of his clothing. Daphnes merely stroked her hair a little bit, looking over to his wife for help, but getting no answer.

'Zelda, are you alright?'

Zelda smiled. Laughed. Everything was finished, everything was normal and everything was beautiful. No darkness could ruin this for her. No more. The shadow was long gone, in the Evil Realm. Only light was coming, and it was brighter than ever before.

'Yes, father,' Zelda whispered. 'Everything is alright.'

She looked up at him with glistening eyes.

'Everything is perfect.'

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And that's that. I'm really sad that it's all over, but then again I'm happy that it's got this far.**

**So again, thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed:_ alwaysingirl, RoseWing-chan, James Birdsong, mairaloveszexion, Kirkysaurus, Kick-Aft, Fanfiction Ninja, TheoneandonlyKaorin, ZeldaRubix, Ananymous Reviewer, pikachucat, mizsxy91, anon1, EvanEssence _and_ anon2_. You guys are all amazing, seriously.**

**Want some more OdnetninAdlez-y goodness? Head to my profile where *shameless plug BEGIN* you'll find another fic that has just been started. It's a Pokémon one, and a far cry from what I've been doing here. Check it out! *shameless plug END***

**Well, that's it. See you guys soon! :) **


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